Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

SOIL FERTILITY AS INFLUENCED BY ALTERNATE SEQUENTIAL CROPPING SYSTEMS TO RICE-RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.) IN TUNGA BHADRA PROJECT AREA

Shridhara B. Nagoli, M. A. Basavanneppa, G.l. Sawargaonkar, D.P. Biradar, S.A. Biradar and M.R. Navyashree

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out in farmer’s field near Agriculture Research Station, Siruguppa in Karnataka during kharif and rabi of 2014-15 to Study influence of alternate sequential copping systems to rice-rice (Oryza sativa L.) system on fertility status of soil in Tunga Bhadra Project (TBP) Area. The experimental site was medium deep black with soil pH (8.01), EC (0.54 dS m-1), available nitrogen (240.80 kg ha-1), P2O5 (22.90 kg ha-1) and K2O (347.49 kg ha-1). The experiment comprised of seven sequential cropping systems viz., T1: Rice-maize, T2: Rice-sorghum, T3: Rice-chickpea, T4: Rice-sesame, T5: Maize-chickpea, T6: Cotton-sesame and T7: Rice-rice. These treatments were laid out in completely randomized block design with three replications. The study revealed that significantly higher rice equivalent yield (REY) was recorded in cotton-sesame cropping system (13117 kg ha-1) compared to rest of the cropping systems. Significantly higher system productivity was recorded with maize-chickpea (35.94 REY kg ha-1 day-1) cropping system and it was significantly superior over existing rice-rice (26.89 REY kg ha-1day-1) cropping systems. Significantly higher available nitrogen (210.21 kg ha-1) and P2O5 (34.22 kgha-1) in soil was noticed with ricechickpea cropping system whereas significantly higher available K2O was obtained after the harvest of rice-rice cropping system (330.10 kg ha-1). The cotton-sesame and maize-chickpea crop sequences are more productive and sustainable as they improve the productivity and fertility status of soil when compared to other cropping sequences and can be a better option for the farmers of the Tunga Bhadra Project area, Karnataka.