Effects of crop residues composts on the fractions and forms of organic carbon and nitrogen in subtropical Indian conditions
P. C. Moharana A , D. R. Biswas
B , Avijit Ghosh C , Abhijit Sarkar D , Ranjan Bhattacharyya E and M. D. Meena F G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Centre, Udaipur 313 001, India.
B Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute,New Delhi, 110 012, India.
C ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi 284003, India.
D ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal 462038, India.
E Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India.
F ICAR - Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research, Sewar, Bharatpur 321303, India.
G Corresponding author. Email: murliiari@gmail.com
Soil Research 58(1) 95-108 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR19091
Submitted: 17 April 2019 Accepted: 4 October 2019 Published: 30 October 2019
Abstract
Management of enormous amounts of crop residues generated from increased crop productivities is a serious issue and could be dealt with by composting. Understanding the effects of such compost application on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles is important for assessing acceptable organic sources for a particular region. We appraised the sensitivity indices and C and N pools in soils amended with full and 50% substitution of mineral fertilisers with rock phosphate enriched composts prepared from rice straw, mustard stover and tree leaves under a four-year-old wheat (Triticum aestivum)–green gram (Vigna radiata) cropping sequence in an Inceptisol. Results revealed that total organic C (TOC) increased by ~37 and 49% under tree leaf compost and tree leaf compost + 50% NPK-treated plots respectively, over unfertilised control in wheat. However, the corresponding increases were ~33 and 36% over control for green gram. The very labile C pool was more sensitive to management than TOC and less labile C. After wheat, significant improvements in total N, labile N and mineral N were found in plots receiving enriched composts applied either alone or in combination with 50% NPK. The carbon management index (CMI), nitrogen management index (NMI) and microbial C : N ratio were similar in soils amended with rice straw compost + 50% NPK, mustard stover compost + 50% NPK and tree leaves compost + 50% NPK, indicating suitability of all three organic sources in this zone. The highest values of CMI (219) and NMI (274) were maintained in mustard stover compost + 50% NPK and rice straw compost + 50% NPK-treated plots respectively. All enriched composts + 50% NPK plots had sensitivity indices (of different C and N pools) either nearer to or higher than 100% NPK plots, implying that the present integrated nutrient management with enriched composts + 50% NPK could sustain crop production and thus could be recommended.
Additional keywords: carbon and nitrogen management index, enriched compost, nitrogen pools, sensitivity indices, soil organic carbon pools.
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