Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

DIRECT AND RESIDUAL EFFECT OF SEWAGE SLUDGE AND THEIR PERIODICITY IN RICE-WHEAT SEQUENCE.

P.S. Kulhare, G.D. Sharma and B.L. Sharma

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur Research Farm to study the direct effect of sewage sludge levels (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 t ha-1) and the periodicity of sludge application (each year, alternate year and every fourth year sludge application) in rice (JR 201) and their residual effect on wheat (GW 273) in rice-wheat sequence during 2004-05 to 2010-11. Application of increasing levels of sewage sludge and its residual effect in general, significantly increased the yield, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn and S content in grain and straw and their uptake by rice and wheat respectively and the nutrient availability in soil over control. Each year sludge application and its residual effect were found significantly superior to every 4th sludge application in general for yield, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn and S content in grain and straw and their total uptake by rice and wheat respectively. The each year sludge application and its residual effect was also found significantly superior to alternate year sludge application for grain yield ,Zn, Cu , Fe, Mn and S uptake by grain and straw of rice and wheat respectively. The interaction between sludge levels and their periodicity was found significant for Zn uptake by grain and total Zn uptake by rice and wheat and total Mn uptake by wheat.