Assessment of Fungal Population in Rhizospheric Soil of Triticum aestivum (wheat) under the Influence of on-field Crop residue Management Practice of ‘stubble Burning’

Author: Khare J. and Bharti D.

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Abstract

Soil ecology is an extensive area of research. The soil microbiome is a collective terminology used for all the microbial communities residing in the extended rhizospheric area. This includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa, archae and virus. Fungi is an important inhabitant of wheat rhizosphere and is directly involved in sustainability, enzymatic breakdown of organic matter and improvising plant health in a variety of ways. Stubble burning always remains a topic concern for soil ecology. In order to understand the fungal component of soil ecosystem and the impact of alternative human practices on rhizospheric fungi colony forming units (cfu) count remains a good choice. Assessing the number of viable fungal cells in wheat rhizosphere by plate count method helps in interpreting the harmful effects of stubble burning on live cells and their ability to grow. Soil collected from wheat fields at two different intervals from different regions of Madhya Pradesh was subjected to viable plate count method to assess the number of microorganisms present in the soil. The results obtained showed a visible disparity among the samples of before burning and after burning soil. The cfu count was calculated as total fungal count, including the yeast and mold count. The total cfu count was reduced from 5.61 × 104cfu/gram of soil to 2.65 × 104cfu/gram of soil in the wheat fields of Madhya Pradesh. All the 50 samples collected from the rhizospheric region had different fraction of fungal population depending on soil nutrient characteristics. Cultivating fungus in vitro, is a difficult task to perform as fungal mycelia may damage while sample collection. To minimize this damage, stubble was collected along with roots adhering with rhizospheric soil. The article's goal is to provide a succinct overview of the current situation with stubble burning, loss of fungal biodiversity, and available solutions to improve the sustainability of the agriculture industry.

Keywords

Rhizosphere, Triticum aestivum, plate count, cfu count, stubble, soil ecology

Conclusion

To check and stop a practice like burning crop residue that is environmentally unacceptable, conservation agriculture (CA) must grow and accelerate, and this movement should be led by farmers. The Indian government supports the management of crop residues for environmental and agricultural sustainability. A successful management plan was proposed in accordance with the updated Crop Residue Management Scheme-2020 guidelines. This plan enables appropriate strategies to be used to take advantage of the limited window of time between rice and wheat cultivation in order to minimize burning incidents to zero. The goal should be, to safeguard the environment from the effects of stubble burning, including air, soil, water, and microbes.

References

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How to cite this article

Khare J. and Bharti D. (2023). Assessment of Fungal Population in Rhizospheric Soil of Triticum aestivum (wheat) under the Influence of on-field Crop residue Management Practice of ‘stubble Burning’. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(4): 834-839.