Impact of Crop Diversification on Soil Physical properties and Maize Grain Equivalent Yield in a Typic Hapludalf of Himachal Pradesh

Author: Deeksha Choudhary, Naveen Datt, Sanjay K. Sharma, Pawan Pathania, Pardeep Kumar, Neha Chauhan, Kriti Gupta and Prakriti

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Abstract

The present experiment was started in the year 2019 in the month of October and continued till November 2021 covering two seasons of rabi and kharif. The field experiment was conducted with ten intensive crop sequences in Randomized block design (RBD) with three replications at the experimental farm of Agronomy, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur under the network of All India Coordinated Research Project on integrated farming system since 2018. The experiment comprised of ten treatments viz., maize-wheat, maize-wheat + gobhi sarson, dhaincha-cabbage-french bean, sunhemp-vegetable pea-french bean, maize + soybean-chickpea + linseed, rice-wheat + gram, hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-oats + sarson (hybrid), hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-ryegrass + berseem, babycorn-broccoli-french bean and maize-turnip-tomato. The soil of the experimental area falls in the order of Alfisols with Paleudalf as the great group as per the Udic Moisture Regime. During rabi and kharif season the crop varieties were applied with the recommended dose of N, P2O5 and K2O (kg ha-1). Among physical soil properties, the highest bulk density value was recorded in the hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-oats + sarson and sunhemp-vegetable pea-french bean, whereas the properties viz., porosity, water holding capacity and water stable aggregates recorded the highest values in the dhaincha-cabbage-french bean. The diversification of conventional maize-wheat cropping systems with legumes improved the physical properties of soil. Maize-turnip-tomato has obtained highest maize grain equivalent yield followed by babycorn-broccoli-french bean and the lowest values was observed in maize-wheat.

Keywords

Fodders, green manures, legumes, physical properties, yield

Conclusion

From the results it is concluded that cropping systems incorporating legumes and green manure crops had positive impacts on soil bulk density, porosity, water holding capacity, and water stable aggregates. These systems exhibited lower bulk density and higher porosity, which can improve soil structure and enhance water movement and nutrient availability. Additionally, the inclusion of legumes and green manure crops promoted the formation of water stable aggregates, indicating improved soil stability. Furthermore, the crop sequences that included vegetables and legumes demonstrated higher maize grain equivalent yields compared to cereal-cereal rotations. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of crop diversification in maintaining soil health and increasing crop productivity.

References

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How to cite this article

Deeksha Choudhary, Naveen Datt, Sanjay K. Sharma, Pawan Pathania, Pardeep Kumar, Neha Chauhan, Kriti Gupta and Prakriti (2023). Impact of Crop Diversification on Soil Physical properties and Maize Grain Equivalent Yield in a Typic Hapludalf of Himachal Pradesh. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(5): 1162-1167.