Soil phosphorus response to long-term tillage, crop residue and precision nutrient management under maize-wheat cropping system in a Typic Haplustept
摘要
Understanding the response of soil phosphorus (P) under long-term precision nutrient management in varying tillage-residue systems will provide insight into sustainable P management in a conservation agriculture (CA) system.
MethodsA study was carried out under long-term (10 years) tillage-residue and precise nutrient management system in a split-plot design with four tillage-residue regimes as main-plots [i) conventional tillage (CT), ii) conventional tillage with mungbean residue retention (CT + MB), iii) permanent bed (PB) and iv) permanent bed with mungbean residue retention (PB + MB)] and three nutrient management options [farmer’s fertilizer practice (FFP), recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) and ‘Nutrient Expert’-based site-specific nutrient management (SSNM)] as sub-plots replicated thrice.
ResultsData showed that PB + MB boosted crop yield and P uptake, improved labile P and moderately labile P over CT and CT + MB. This can also be corroborated by higher Olsen P and microbial properties (microbial biomass P and phosphatase enzyme activities). Although the tillage-residue had no evident effect on the stable fractions, the total P was significantly enhanced. Among the nutrient management, SSNM significantly improves the labile P and NaOH–Po. Excess P application beyond crop requirements (RDF and FFP) led to HCl–P, residual–P and total P accumulation. Pearson’s correlation showed that crop yields were closely associated with the Olsen P and labile fractions.
ConclusionInteraction effect indicated that implementing precise nutrients through SSNM in a CA system (PB + MB) could be the way forward in improving P availability in the CA system.