Soil Nutrient Availability and Enzyme Activities under Wheat-Green gram Crop Rotation as Affected by Rock Phosphate Enriched Compost and Inorganic Fertilizers
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of rock phosphate (RP) enriched rice straw compost, FYM
and inorganic fertilizers on changes in nutrient availability and enzyme activities in soil during different
physiological growth stages under a wheat-green gram crop rotation in an Inceptisol. The matured RP
enriched compost contained higher bioavailable P as well as total P content compared to farmyard manure.
Data revealed that application of inorganic fertilizers and RP enriched compost or FYM either alone or in
combination resulted in significant build-up in soil organic carbon, mineral N, Olsen-P and NH4OAc-K as
well as enzyme activities compared to unfertilized control plots during different physiological growth stages
of wheat and green gram. Plot receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched compost resulted in 100.8, 95.2 and 100.0
per cent greater build-up in Olsen-P over unfertilized control in crown root initiation (CRI), flowering and
maturity stage of wheat, respectively. Irrespective of treatments, build-up of mineral N, Olsen-P and NH4OAc-
K decreased in all the growth stages of green gram as compared to values obtained in wheat. The
dehydrogenase and phosphatase activities (alkaline and acid) were higher in flowering stage than maturity
and CRI stages of wheat. While, higher enzyme activities were obtained during pod formation in green
gram. The results demonstrated that enriched compost could be prepared using low-grade RP with rice straw
and used as an alternate nutrient source for improving crop yields, maintaining soil nutrient availability and
enzyme activities.
Enhancing Productivity and Livelihoods Among Smallholder Irrigators through B...Jenkins Macedo
This is a research project in progress. A full report with results will be available at the end of the year [2014] and after the thesis has being defended at Clark University. This research is funded by Purdue University Center for Global Food Security through a grant funded by the USAID.
Comparative Effect of Different Modes of Nitrogen Application on Mineral Nutr...AnuragSingh1049
During Kharif season of 2014-15, field experiment were conducted at two different locations (Bilwa and Nawabganj) of Tarai region near Bareilly district (U.P., North India). Split applications of nitrogen fertilizer gave significantly higher values of Ca and Fe than those of basal applications at both the sites. However, site Bilwa was found to be more conducive for var. Jaya in respect to almost all mineral nutrients. For the chosen variety, split applications of nitrogen responded well for the mineral status, as compared to the full basal application.
Enhancing Productivity and Livelihoods Among Smallholder Irrigators through B...Jenkins Macedo
This is a research project in progress. A full report with results will be available at the end of the year [2014] and after the thesis has being defended at Clark University. This research is funded by Purdue University Center for Global Food Security through a grant funded by the USAID.
Comparative Effect of Different Modes of Nitrogen Application on Mineral Nutr...AnuragSingh1049
During Kharif season of 2014-15, field experiment were conducted at two different locations (Bilwa and Nawabganj) of Tarai region near Bareilly district (U.P., North India). Split applications of nitrogen fertilizer gave significantly higher values of Ca and Fe than those of basal applications at both the sites. However, site Bilwa was found to be more conducive for var. Jaya in respect to almost all mineral nutrients. For the chosen variety, split applications of nitrogen responded well for the mineral status, as compared to the full basal application.
Improving Fruit Quality and Nutritional Value of Deglet Nour dates subjected ...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
A field study was carried out during the two consecutive years (2015-2016) in the region of Biskra, southern east of Algeria on date palms of Deglet-Nour variety, grown in a salty environment. To study the combined effect of salinity and phospho-potassium fertilization on the quality and nutritional value of dates, two sites of different salinity, occupied by 54 date palms variety Deglet-Nour has been selected. The palms were fertilized by receiving three doses of potassium (0, 2 and 3 kg / palm) as potassium sulphate K 2 SO 4 (50%) combined with three levels of phosphorus (0, 1 and 2 kg / palm) as superphosphate (TSP 46%). The results revealed that applying 2 kg of potassium/palm in an excessively salty environment and 3 kg/palm in a low or unsalted environment associated to 1 kg of phosphorus in the two different cases of salinity of the two sites S1 and S2 improving the fruit traits.
Utilization of Marginal Soils with Application of Phosphorus and Ethephon for...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— Abundance of marginal soils is among the major constraint to achieve high yield for crop production due to unsuitable physical and chemical properties of the soils. Commonly, farmers would manage the marginal soil by adding soil amendment, compost and fertilizer which increase the cost of production. Alternatively, application of fertilizer together with plant growth regulator (PGR) during crop management can be practiced to utilize the marginal soil effectively. The aim of this experiment was to determine effects of phosphorus (P) fertilizer and PGR namely ethephon on growth performance of sweet corn grown in three marginal soils namely Rasau, Kuah and Dampar. The treatments were arranged as factorial randomized complete block design with four rates of P fertilizer and standard rate of ethephon replicated four times. The results indicated that the physical properties of the marginal soils vary which Rasau dan Kuah series have low content of silt (10.30% and 36.10%), respectively and clay (9.40% and 11.86%) while Dampar series has low sand content (21%). Consequently, Dampar series depicted highest soil moisture content (18.80%) compared to Rasau and Kuah with high content of silt and clay at 42.43% and 36.43%, respectively. At tasseling stage, where application of P fertilizer with combination of ethephon at 0 and 15 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 there were significant difference between soil series on root length, total biomass wet and dry weight but exception for total biomass dry weight at 0 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1. Moreover, at 45 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 there were significant difference among soil series on leaf number and total biomass dry weight whereas at highest P rate of 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 only root length and root volume were affected. Most of the results were observed highest on Rasau soil series which contain highest sand particle instead of silt and clay compared to Kuah and Dampar series. However, the addition of ethephon and several P rates did not affect plant height among soil series. The results suggest that, the marginal soil can be utilized for sweet corn production by addition of combined P fertilizer at low rate and PGR.
Balanced fertilizer use refers to application of essential plant nutrients in optimum quantities and in right proportional through appropriate method and time of application suited for a specific crop and agronomic situation.
Aims of Balanced Fertilization:
a) Increasing crop yield,
b) Improving quality of the produce ,
c) Increasing farm income,
d) Correction of inherent soil nutrient deficiencies and toxicities
e) Maintaining or improving lasting soil fertility,.
f) Reduces environmental hazards
Soybean and Corn crop response to enhanced efficiency phosphate fertilizerAI Publications
Many agricultural soils worldwide in their natural state are deficient in phosphorous (P). As P is vital for all living beings, as P fertilizers are manufactured from non-renewable resources and as P fertilizer efficiency is generally low, we need to improve the P use efficiency and minimize P fertilizers usage to ensure the future sustainability of our cropping systems. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers use is one of the strategies to increase P fertilizer efficiency, but there is no consensus on the effectiveness of this type of technology. The need to increase the efficiency of P fertilization and the lack of information about enhanced efficiency P fertilizer justifies studies to evaluate the performance of this kind of fertilizer. Experiments were carried out in greenhouse and field conditions to investigate the effect of P fertilizer coated with anionic polymers (Policote) on corn and soybean crop development and yield, and agronomic P use efficiency. Greenhouse experiments were conducted with corn crop, while field trials were carried out with soybean crop. Greater increases in plant growth parameters, crop yield, soil P content, and fertilizer efficiency use were observed with Policote coated fertilizer than with conventional P fertilizer. The observed changes in P use efficiency among P fertilizers increased our understanding of enhanced efficiency fertilizers. The obtained results demonstrated that Policote coated fertilizer can be used as an enhanced efficiency fertilizer. Results show that Policote coated fertilizer is a more efficient way to deliver required phosphorous to plants than conventional ones.
Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is a critically important concept in the evaluation of crop production systems. Many agricultural soils of the world are deficient in one or more of the essential nutrients to support healthy and productive plant growth. Efficiency can be defined in many ways and easily increased food production could be achieved by expanding the land area under crops and by increasing yields per unit area through intensive farming. Environmental nutrient use efficiency can be quite different than agronomic or economic efficiency and maximizing efficiency may not always be effective. Worldwide, elemental deficiencies for essential macro and micro nutrients and toxicities by Al, Mn, Fe, S, B, Cu, Mo, Cr, Cl, Na, and Si have been reported.
The portion of a plant left in the field after harvest of the crop that is (straw, stalks, stems, leaves, roots) not used domestically or sold commercially”. The non – economical plant parts that are left in the field after harvest and remains that are generated from packing sheds or that are discarded during crop processing. Organic recycling has to play a key role in achieving sustainability in agricultural production. Multipurpose uses of crop residue include, but are not limited to, animal feeding, soil mulching, bio-manure, thatching of rural homes and fuel for domestic and industrial use. Thus, crop residues are of tremendous value to the farmers. Crop residue benefit the soil physically, chemically as well as biologically.
A paper by the reputed FAO on Nutrient management and application guidelines, specifically concentrating on Micronutrient application for various crops, including Cereals, Rice and a lot more.
Nualgi contains all 10 mincronutrients and can be applied to ALL crops, available as a Foliar Spray.
Check ot www.nualgi.org for more information.
This presentation is done by 2010/2011 batch of Export Agriculture students of Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka as a requirement for the subject which is “Rice & Field Crop Production”. Note that the information included here is relevant to Sri Lankan condition.
Improving Fruit Quality and Nutritional Value of Deglet Nour dates subjected ...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
A field study was carried out during the two consecutive years (2015-2016) in the region of Biskra, southern east of Algeria on date palms of Deglet-Nour variety, grown in a salty environment. To study the combined effect of salinity and phospho-potassium fertilization on the quality and nutritional value of dates, two sites of different salinity, occupied by 54 date palms variety Deglet-Nour has been selected. The palms were fertilized by receiving three doses of potassium (0, 2 and 3 kg / palm) as potassium sulphate K 2 SO 4 (50%) combined with three levels of phosphorus (0, 1 and 2 kg / palm) as superphosphate (TSP 46%). The results revealed that applying 2 kg of potassium/palm in an excessively salty environment and 3 kg/palm in a low or unsalted environment associated to 1 kg of phosphorus in the two different cases of salinity of the two sites S1 and S2 improving the fruit traits.
Utilization of Marginal Soils with Application of Phosphorus and Ethephon for...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— Abundance of marginal soils is among the major constraint to achieve high yield for crop production due to unsuitable physical and chemical properties of the soils. Commonly, farmers would manage the marginal soil by adding soil amendment, compost and fertilizer which increase the cost of production. Alternatively, application of fertilizer together with plant growth regulator (PGR) during crop management can be practiced to utilize the marginal soil effectively. The aim of this experiment was to determine effects of phosphorus (P) fertilizer and PGR namely ethephon on growth performance of sweet corn grown in three marginal soils namely Rasau, Kuah and Dampar. The treatments were arranged as factorial randomized complete block design with four rates of P fertilizer and standard rate of ethephon replicated four times. The results indicated that the physical properties of the marginal soils vary which Rasau dan Kuah series have low content of silt (10.30% and 36.10%), respectively and clay (9.40% and 11.86%) while Dampar series has low sand content (21%). Consequently, Dampar series depicted highest soil moisture content (18.80%) compared to Rasau and Kuah with high content of silt and clay at 42.43% and 36.43%, respectively. At tasseling stage, where application of P fertilizer with combination of ethephon at 0 and 15 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 there were significant difference between soil series on root length, total biomass wet and dry weight but exception for total biomass dry weight at 0 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1. Moreover, at 45 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 there were significant difference among soil series on leaf number and total biomass dry weight whereas at highest P rate of 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 only root length and root volume were affected. Most of the results were observed highest on Rasau soil series which contain highest sand particle instead of silt and clay compared to Kuah and Dampar series. However, the addition of ethephon and several P rates did not affect plant height among soil series. The results suggest that, the marginal soil can be utilized for sweet corn production by addition of combined P fertilizer at low rate and PGR.
Balanced fertilizer use refers to application of essential plant nutrients in optimum quantities and in right proportional through appropriate method and time of application suited for a specific crop and agronomic situation.
Aims of Balanced Fertilization:
a) Increasing crop yield,
b) Improving quality of the produce ,
c) Increasing farm income,
d) Correction of inherent soil nutrient deficiencies and toxicities
e) Maintaining or improving lasting soil fertility,.
f) Reduces environmental hazards
Soybean and Corn crop response to enhanced efficiency phosphate fertilizerAI Publications
Many agricultural soils worldwide in their natural state are deficient in phosphorous (P). As P is vital for all living beings, as P fertilizers are manufactured from non-renewable resources and as P fertilizer efficiency is generally low, we need to improve the P use efficiency and minimize P fertilizers usage to ensure the future sustainability of our cropping systems. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers use is one of the strategies to increase P fertilizer efficiency, but there is no consensus on the effectiveness of this type of technology. The need to increase the efficiency of P fertilization and the lack of information about enhanced efficiency P fertilizer justifies studies to evaluate the performance of this kind of fertilizer. Experiments were carried out in greenhouse and field conditions to investigate the effect of P fertilizer coated with anionic polymers (Policote) on corn and soybean crop development and yield, and agronomic P use efficiency. Greenhouse experiments were conducted with corn crop, while field trials were carried out with soybean crop. Greater increases in plant growth parameters, crop yield, soil P content, and fertilizer efficiency use were observed with Policote coated fertilizer than with conventional P fertilizer. The observed changes in P use efficiency among P fertilizers increased our understanding of enhanced efficiency fertilizers. The obtained results demonstrated that Policote coated fertilizer can be used as an enhanced efficiency fertilizer. Results show that Policote coated fertilizer is a more efficient way to deliver required phosphorous to plants than conventional ones.
Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is a critically important concept in the evaluation of crop production systems. Many agricultural soils of the world are deficient in one or more of the essential nutrients to support healthy and productive plant growth. Efficiency can be defined in many ways and easily increased food production could be achieved by expanding the land area under crops and by increasing yields per unit area through intensive farming. Environmental nutrient use efficiency can be quite different than agronomic or economic efficiency and maximizing efficiency may not always be effective. Worldwide, elemental deficiencies for essential macro and micro nutrients and toxicities by Al, Mn, Fe, S, B, Cu, Mo, Cr, Cl, Na, and Si have been reported.
The portion of a plant left in the field after harvest of the crop that is (straw, stalks, stems, leaves, roots) not used domestically or sold commercially”. The non – economical plant parts that are left in the field after harvest and remains that are generated from packing sheds or that are discarded during crop processing. Organic recycling has to play a key role in achieving sustainability in agricultural production. Multipurpose uses of crop residue include, but are not limited to, animal feeding, soil mulching, bio-manure, thatching of rural homes and fuel for domestic and industrial use. Thus, crop residues are of tremendous value to the farmers. Crop residue benefit the soil physically, chemically as well as biologically.
A paper by the reputed FAO on Nutrient management and application guidelines, specifically concentrating on Micronutrient application for various crops, including Cereals, Rice and a lot more.
Nualgi contains all 10 mincronutrients and can be applied to ALL crops, available as a Foliar Spray.
Check ot www.nualgi.org for more information.
This presentation is done by 2010/2011 batch of Export Agriculture students of Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka as a requirement for the subject which is “Rice & Field Crop Production”. Note that the information included here is relevant to Sri Lankan condition.
Powerpoint Search Engine has collection of slides related to specific topics. Write the required keyword in the search box and it fetches you the related results.
Similar to Soil Nutrient Availability and Enzyme Activities under Wheat-Green gram Crop Rotation as Affected by Rock Phosphate Enriched Compost and Inorganic Fertilizers
Rehabilitation of Salt-Affected Soil Through Residues Incorporation and Its I...CrimsonpublishersMCDA
A two year field study was conducted on a permanent layout to investigate the effect of crop residues (CR) incorporation and P application (0, 40, 80, 120kg P2O5 ha-1) on rehabilitation of saline soil (ECe=4.59 dS m-1; pH=8.38; CaCO3=3.21%; Extractable P=4.07mg kg-1; sandy clay loam) during 2011-12. The experiment was laid out according to split plot design with three replications. Planting of direct seeded rice (DSR) with and without crop residue incorporation @2ton ha-1 were placed in main plots and P application was in sub plots. Data on productive tillers, panicle length, paddy/grain and straw yields was collected. Soil was sampled (0-15cm) before initiation and after the harvest of last crop. On an average of two years, maximum productive tillers (18), panicle length (33), paddy yield (3.26t ha-1) and was produced with P application @ 80kg P2O5 ha-1 along with CR incorporation. Similarly in case of wheat grown after DSR, maximum tillers (17), spike length (17), grain panicle-1 (66) and grain yield (3.56t ha-1) were produced with P application @80kg P2O5 ha-1 along with CR incorporation. Although, the growth and yield contributing parameters with this treatment (80kg P2O5 ha-1+CR) performed statistically equal to 120kg P2O5 ha-1 without CR incorporation during both the years, but on an average of two years, grain yield of DSR and wheat was significantly superior (22 and 24% respectively) than that of higher P rate (120kg ha-1) without CR. Overall, continuous two year CR incorporation further increased (17%) paddy yields during the follow up year of crop harvest. Higher concentration of P, K and Ca2+ in both DSR and wheat plant tissues was found where 80kg P2O5 ha-1 was applied along with CR incorporation or 120kg P2O5 ha-1 alone while Na+ and Mg2+ concentration decreased with CR incorporation and increasing P rate. The soil salinity was decreased and fertility was improved significantly after two years of study.
https://crimsonpublishers.com/mcda/fulltext/MCDA.000582.php
For more open access journals in Crimson Publishers please click on link: https://crimsonpublishers.com
For more articles on journal of agronomy and crop science please click on below link: https://crimsonpublishers.com/mcda/
New Approaches for Enhancing Phosphorus Use Efficiency (PUE).pdfS G Sarowar
Phosphorus is an essential primary nutrient for plant growth and is a critical component of fertilizers.
However, it is a finite resource, and concerns have been raised about the depletion of high-quality
phosphate rock reserves, which are the primary source of phosphorus for fertilizer production.
Phosphorus is an exception, as it exists as an anion but has low water solubility, making it relatively
immobile in the soil (Roberts and Johnston, 2015). Phosphorus use efficiency can vary depending on
factors like soil conditions, crop varieties, and agricultural practices. Fixation of broadcasted P is much
greater than the fertilizer applied in bands because of less contact with P fixing ingredients (Rehim et
al., 2012). The PUE is very low in alkaline soil due to fixation with calcium or magnesium ions which
reduces the P availability to the plants. Coating of phosphorus fertilizers with organic acids can improve
the PUE without harming the environment (Mohan and Malarvizhi, 2020). Biochar application
improves crop productivity through enhancing water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity (CEC),
adsorption of plant nutrients and creates suitable condition for soil micro-organisms (Atkinson et al.,
2010). Rock phosphate if used as nano form it may increase availability of phosphorus to the plant
because direct application of rock phosphate nano particles on the crop may prevent fixation in the soil
similarly there is no silicic acid, iron and calcium for fixation of the phosphorus hence it increase
phosphorus availability to the crop plants (Qureshi et al., 2018). Microbial Inoculants in the rhizosphere have been known as System of INM. The fixed or relatively unavailable
fraction of P may be distributed to proportionally more labile fractions, which can be taken up by the
plants, as a result of PSM (Phosphorus Solubilizing Microbes) application. In case of Ultisols of India,
there is very little information on the pattern of P release into soil solution due to microbial
solubilization of fixed soil P (Alam et al., 2021). Product coated with polyvinyl alcohol @2% coating released P gradually that synchronized well with the plant P demand and resulted in greater
biomass yield, P uptake and recovery by wheat than that of liquid paraffin and 3% level of coating. It
can be concluded that novel technology of controlled release RP formulations using different coating
agents could be exploited commercially as the alternative to water soluble P-fertilizers for enhancing P
use efficiency (Sarkar et al., 2018). Polymer coating has been found more effective than other fertilizer
encapsulation technologies. In case of polymer coated fertilizers (PCFs), the shelf life and efficiency of
nutrients is higher. Keeping this in view polymer coated DAP was formulated, and a field study was
conducted with aims to compare the effectiveness of polymer coated DAP and commercial DAP for
improving growth, yield and PUE of wheat (Ali et al., 2017)
Phosphorus mineralization of bioslurry and other manures in soil Premier Publishers
The experiment was conducted to see the phosphorus (P) mineralization pattern of bioslurry under aerobic and anaerobic soil conditions. Two bioslurry (cowdung bioslurry and poultry manure bioslurry) and their original manure (cowdung and poultry manure) at 3, 5, 10 and 20 t ha-1, respectively were thoroughly mixed with soil and incubated in aerobic and anaerobic moisture condition for 12 weeks. Among the four different types of manure, P release from poultry manure slurry was the highest. Poultry manure and cowdung slurry recorded very closer amount of available P. Both cowdung slurry and poultry manure slurry released higher amount of P compared to their original state (cowdung and poultry manure). P mineralization reaches in peak within 4-6 weeks of incubation. Under anaerobic condition the P mineralization was found higher compared to aerobic condition. The P mineralization data fitted strongly to the first order kinetic model. The bioslurries had lower rate of mineralization but had higher potentiality to release P in the soil compared to their original state.
Ameliorative potential of rice hull and straw in the ecological restoration o...Open Access Research Paper
Rice hull and straw are renewable wastes contain 28-30% of inorganic and 70-72% of organic compounds. Its ameliorative potential in enhancing the physicochemical properties of mine degraded soils was investigated. Soils collected from Backfill Material/Overburden (BM) and desilted materials (DM) from settling ponds of Carrascal Nickel Corporation (CNC) were used following six treatments. BM and DM from settling ponds were treated with rice hull and rice straw with 2:1 ratio by weight, respectively. After ameliorating soils from overburden and silted materials from CNC with rice straw and rice hull, observations showed that there are no significant differences in pH, % Organic Matter (OM) and phosphorous (P) between treatments; there is high significant difference (p<0.01) in potassium (K) between treatments except between treatment 3 (soil 1 with rice straw) and treatment 6 (soil 2 with rice hull) where there is no significant difference noted; and the concentrations of Ca, Mg, S and Zn in soils with rice hull did not differ with soils before amelioration, but differed to soils with rice straw, while results in soil texture exhibited otherwise. Therefore, rice straw and rice hull have ameliorative properties that will improve the physico-chemical characteristics of mine degraded soils. It is recommended that rice straw and rice hull will be allowed to decompose in mine degraded soils to enhance its physico-chemical properties. It is also recommended to conduct studies on the response of different crops to mine degrade soils ameliorated with rice straw and rice hull.
The morpho-agronomic characterization study of Lens culinaris germplasm under...Shujaul Mulk Khan
The present research study evaluate and identify the most suitable and high yielding genotypes of Lens culinaris for the salt marsh habitat of Swat in moist temperate sort of agro climatic environment of Pakistan. A total of fourteen genotypes were cultivated and analyzed through Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). These genotypes were AZRC-4, NL-2, NL4, NL-5, NL-6, NARC-11-1, NARC-11-2, NARC-11-3, NARC-11-4, 09503, 09505, 09506, P.Masoor-09 and Markaz-09. Different parameters i.e., germination rate, flowering, physiological maturity, plant height, biological grain yield, seed weight, pods formation and its height, pods per plants and protein content were focused specially throughout the study. Preliminary the Lentil genotypes have significant variability in all the major morpho-agronomic traits. The days to germination, 50% flowering and 100 seed weight ranged from 7 to 9, 110 to 116 days, and from 5.4 to 7.3 gm respectively. Biological yield and grain yield ranged from 5333 to 9777 kg ha−1 and 1933 to 3655 kg ha−1 respectively. Whereas, protein contents ranged from 23.21% to 28.45%. It was concluded that the genotype AZRC-4 is better varity in terms of grain yield plus in 100 seed weight and moreover, 09506 genotype was significant under salt marsh habitat in early maturing for the Swat Valley, Pakistan.
Effective Recycling Of Paddy Straw through Microbial Degradation for Enhancin...iosrjce
The field investigation was conducted at Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station,
Kathalagere, Davanagere district, Karnataka during summer 2010 and Kharif 2010 (wet season) to study the
efficacy of different biomass degradable microorganisms on rice straw. The results of the present investigation
showed that rice straw treated with combination of cow dung slurry @ 5% + Trichoderma harizianum @ 5
kg/ha + Pleurotus sajor caju@ 5 kg/ha had significant influence in degrading rice straw as evidenced through
the activity of N- fixing and P- solubilizing microorganisms in the soil. The highest population of N- fixing
microorganisms 27.16 x 103
and 51.00 x 103
cfu /g soil at the time of transplanting and 60 DAT, respectively
during summer 2010 and 31.56 x 103
and 62.44 x 103
cfu /g soil at the time of transplanting and 60 DAT,
respectively during Kharif 2010 were recorded compared to application of recommended dose NPK (10.37 x
103
and 20.00 x 103
cfu /g soil at the time of transplanting and 60 DAT, respectively during summer 2010 and
11.52 x 103
and 21.87 x 103
cfu /g soil at the time of transplanting and 60 DAT, respectively during Kharif
2010)27.16 x 103
and 51.00 x 103
cfu /g soil at the time of transplanting and 60 DAT, respectively). The
increased population of Phosphorus solubilizing microorganisms 20.00 x 102
and 30 x 102
cfu /g soil at the time
of transplanting and 60 DAT, respectively during summer 2010 and 24.65 x 102
and 36.77 x 102
cfu /g soil at
the time of transplanting and 60 DAT, respectively during Kharif 2010 were recorded compared to application
of recommended dose NPK (11.00 x 102
and 14.33 x 102
cfu /g soil at the time of transplanting and 60 DAT,
respectively during summer 2010 and 11.87 x 102
and 15.22 x 102
cfu /g soil at the time of transplanting and 60
DAT, respectively during Kharif 2010).Similarly, the enhanced grain and straw yields were also confirmed the efficiency of organic matter degradability microorganisms
Similar to Soil Nutrient Availability and Enzyme Activities under Wheat-Green gram Crop Rotation as Affected by Rock Phosphate Enriched Compost and Inorganic Fertilizers (20)
The world is running short of time and option at social and economic front in view of high risks related with global warming and climate change, which is a result of the “enhanced greenhouse effect” mainly due to human induced release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere (IPCC, 2007). The GHGs inventories are going on all over the world and every possible method to control them are being recognized and evaluated. Carbon footprint is a measure of the exclusive total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is directly and indirectly caused by an activity or is accumulated over the life stages of a product (Pandey et al., 2011). The crop production contributes significantly to global carbon emissions at different stage of crop through the production and use of farm machinery, crop protection chemicals such as herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, and fertilizer (Hillier et al., 2012). Pathak et al.(2010) calculated the carbon footprint of 24 Indian food items and reported that in the production of these food item 87% emission came from food production followed by preparation (10%), processing (2%) and transportation (1%). Maheswarappa et al. (2011) reported that the C-sustainability index (increase in C output as % of C-based input) of Indian agriculture has decreased with time (from 7 in 1960-61 to 3 in 2008-9). Agricultural uses, including both food production and consumption, contribute the most reactive nitrogen (Nr) to the global environment. Once lost to the environment, the nitrogen moves through the Earth’s atmosphere, forests, grasslands and waters causing a cascade of environmental changes that negatively impact both people and ecosystems. Leach et al. (2012) developed a tool called N-Calculator, a nitrogen footprint model that provides information on how to reduce Nr to the environment. Therefore, Quantification of GHGs from each stage of lifecycle of a product gives complete picture of its impact on global warming and provides necessary information to develop low C technology and mitigation option not only for industrial product but also for agricultural produce. The C and N footprint for a given field will allow growers, advisors and policy makers to make informed decisions about management to optimize crop production, biodiversity and carbon footprint.
Nanoparticles, pharmaceutical and personal care products in sewage sludgePravash Chandra Moharana
During the last decade the occurrence of engineered nanoparticles (NPs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment have been well documented. Nanoparticles are released from different nanomaterials used in our household and industrial commodities whereas PPCPs are a diverse group of chemicals comprising all human and veterinary drugs, diagnostic agents and cosmetics such as fragrances and sun-screen agents which enter into environment by excretion of humans and domestic animals, disposal of unused or expired PPCPs to drain and ultimately contaminate the sewage sludge and soil. Toxicity of many nanoparticles in wastewater and sludge and their fate to soil are the unanswered question (Brar et al., 2010). The phytotoxicology of nanoparticles (multi-walled carbon nanotube, aluminum, alumina, zinc and zinc oxide) on seed germination and root growth of radish, rape, ryegrass, lettuce, corn, and cucumber are reported by Lin and Xing, 2007 and Oleszczuk et al., 2011. Application of higher doses of ZnO-NPs inhibited the production of methane, respiration and also nitrification during anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (Liu et al., 2011; Mu and Chen, 2011). Some of the nanoparticles like Fe3O4, FeS, CeO2, etc. are used for removal of pollutants from wastewater and sludge. The pharmaceuticals like ibuprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen, diclofenac, phenazone, bezifibrate, erythromycin, sulfamethazine, trimethoprim, triclosan, musk compounds, etc. are identified in wastewater and sludge (Daughton and Ternes, 1999). These PPCPs react with other organic molecules to produce Phase I and Phase II compound which are more toxic than parent compounds. Bioremediation by fungus Trametes versicolor is one of the option to reduce pharmaceuticals to toxicity from sewage sludge (Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al., 2011).
Nutrient recycling through agricultural and industrial wastes:potential and l...Pravash Chandra Moharana
Due to intensive agriculture, the soil resource is under increasing stress as there is a big gap between annual output of nutrients from soil due to crop removals and the nutrient inputs from external resources. So, filling this gap we go for nutrient recycling of non conventional resources i.e. agricultural and industrial wastes. On basis crop production, India generate about 312.5 Mt of crop residues, such as straw of cereals, oilseeds etc can supply about 1.13, 1.41 and 3.54 Mt of NPK. It has been estimated that all animal excreta can potentially supply 17.77 Mt of plant nutrients and 150 Mt of municipal wastes generated annually in India that have nutrient potential of about 1.72 Mt of NPK. At present India produces about 8.0 Mt of poultry manure which is sufficient to fertilizer about 3.56 Mha of land annually. These wastes are composted along with addition low grade rock phosphate and waste mica improve the quality of compost. A huge amount of effluents generated from tanning, textile, distillery and paper mill industries which contain several major primary and secondary plant nutrients (N, P, K, S, Mg, Ca, etc.) as well as micronutrients and heavy metals. Application of pressmud cake, FYM and poultry litter increase soil available nutrients and long term irrigation with paper mill effluent causes soil salinity and heavy metal accumulation. Industrial byproducts like phosphogypsum, basic slag etc used as soil ameliorant.
Cancer cell metabolism: special Reference to Lactate PathwayAADYARAJPANDEY1
Normal Cell Metabolism:
Cellular respiration describes the series of steps that cells use to break down sugar and other chemicals to get the energy we need to function.
Energy is stored in the bonds of glucose and when glucose is broken down, much of that energy is released.
Cell utilize energy in the form of ATP.
The first step of respiration is called glycolysis. In a series of steps, glycolysis breaks glucose into two smaller molecules - a chemical called pyruvate. A small amount of ATP is formed during this process.
Most healthy cells continue the breakdown in a second process, called the Kreb's cycle. The Kreb's cycle allows cells to “burn” the pyruvates made in glycolysis to get more ATP.
The last step in the breakdown of glucose is called oxidative phosphorylation (Ox-Phos).
It takes place in specialized cell structures called mitochondria. This process produces a large amount of ATP. Importantly, cells need oxygen to complete oxidative phosphorylation.
If a cell completes only glycolysis, only 2 molecules of ATP are made per glucose. However, if the cell completes the entire respiration process (glycolysis - Kreb's - oxidative phosphorylation), about 36 molecules of ATP are created, giving it much more energy to use.
IN CANCER CELL:
Unlike healthy cells that "burn" the entire molecule of sugar to capture a large amount of energy as ATP, cancer cells are wasteful.
Cancer cells only partially break down sugar molecules. They overuse the first step of respiration, glycolysis. They frequently do not complete the second step, oxidative phosphorylation.
This results in only 2 molecules of ATP per each glucose molecule instead of the 36 or so ATPs healthy cells gain. As a result, cancer cells need to use a lot more sugar molecules to get enough energy to survive.
Unlike healthy cells that "burn" the entire molecule of sugar to capture a large amount of energy as ATP, cancer cells are wasteful.
Cancer cells only partially break down sugar molecules. They overuse the first step of respiration, glycolysis. They frequently do not complete the second step, oxidative phosphorylation.
This results in only 2 molecules of ATP per each glucose molecule instead of the 36 or so ATPs healthy cells gain. As a result, cancer cells need to use a lot more sugar molecules to get enough energy to survive.
introduction to WARBERG PHENOMENA:
WARBURG EFFECT Usually, cancer cells are highly glycolytic (glucose addiction) and take up more glucose than do normal cells from outside.
Otto Heinrich Warburg (; 8 October 1883 – 1 August 1970) In 1931 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his "discovery of the nature and mode of action of the respiratory enzyme.
WARNBURG EFFECT : cancer cells under aerobic (well-oxygenated) conditions to metabolize glucose to lactate (aerobic glycolysis) is known as the Warburg effect. Warburg made the observation that tumor slices consume glucose and secrete lactate at a higher rate than normal tissues.
Richard's entangled aventures in wonderlandRichard Gill
Since the loophole-free Bell experiments of 2020 and the Nobel prizes in physics of 2022, critics of Bell's work have retreated to the fortress of super-determinism. Now, super-determinism is a derogatory word - it just means "determinism". Palmer, Hance and Hossenfelder argue that quantum mechanics and determinism are not incompatible, using a sophisticated mathematical construction based on a subtle thinning of allowed states and measurements in quantum mechanics, such that what is left appears to make Bell's argument fail, without altering the empirical predictions of quantum mechanics. I think however that it is a smoke screen, and the slogan "lost in math" comes to my mind. I will discuss some other recent disproofs of Bell's theorem using the language of causality based on causal graphs. Causal thinking is also central to law and justice. I will mention surprising connections to my work on serial killer nurse cases, in particular the Dutch case of Lucia de Berk and the current UK case of Lucy Letby.
What is greenhouse gasses and how many gasses are there to affect the Earth.moosaasad1975
What are greenhouse gasses how they affect the earth and its environment what is the future of the environment and earth how the weather and the climate effects.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE SAMPLE RETURN.Sérgio Sacani
The return of a sample of near-surface atmosphere from Mars would facilitate answers to several first-order science questions surrounding the formation and evolution of the planet. One of the important aspects of terrestrial planet formation in general is the role that primary atmospheres played in influencing the chemistry and structure of the planets and their antecedents. Studies of the martian atmosphere can be used to investigate the role of a primary atmosphere in its history. Atmosphere samples would also inform our understanding of the near-surface chemistry of the planet, and ultimately the prospects for life. High-precision isotopic analyses of constituent gases are needed to address these questions, requiring that the analyses are made on returned samples rather than in situ.
This pdf is about the Schizophrenia.
For more details visit on YouTube; @SELF-EXPLANATORY;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiarMZDNhe1A3Rnpr_WkzA/videos
Thanks...!
Professional air quality monitoring systems provide immediate, on-site data for analysis, compliance, and decision-making.
Monitor common gases, weather parameters, particulates.
Richard's aventures in two entangled wonderlandsRichard Gill
Since the loophole-free Bell experiments of 2020 and the Nobel prizes in physics of 2022, critics of Bell's work have retreated to the fortress of super-determinism. Now, super-determinism is a derogatory word - it just means "determinism". Palmer, Hance and Hossenfelder argue that quantum mechanics and determinism are not incompatible, using a sophisticated mathematical construction based on a subtle thinning of allowed states and measurements in quantum mechanics, such that what is left appears to make Bell's argument fail, without altering the empirical predictions of quantum mechanics. I think however that it is a smoke screen, and the slogan "lost in math" comes to my mind. I will discuss some other recent disproofs of Bell's theorem using the language of causality based on causal graphs. Causal thinking is also central to law and justice. I will mention surprising connections to my work on serial killer nurse cases, in particular the Dutch case of Lucia de Berk and the current UK case of Lucy Letby.
A brief information about the SCOP protein database used in bioinformatics.
The Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) database is a comprehensive and authoritative resource for the structural and evolutionary relationships of proteins. It provides a detailed and curated classification of protein structures, grouping them into families, superfamilies, and folds based on their structural and sequence similarities.
Comparative structure of adrenal gland in vertebrates
Soil Nutrient Availability and Enzyme Activities under Wheat-Green gram Crop Rotation as Affected by Rock Phosphate Enriched Compost and Inorganic Fertilizers
1. Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science, Vol. 62, No. 3, pp 224-234 (2014)
Soil Nutrient Availability and Enzyme Activities under Wheat-Green
gram Crop Rotation as Affected by Rock Phosphate Enriched
Compost and Inorganic Fertilizers
P.C. Moharana, D.R. Biswas*, A.K. Patra1
, S.C. Datta,
R.D. Singh, Lata2
and K.K. Bandyopadhyay3
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute,
New Delhi, 110012
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of rock phosphate (RP) enriched rice straw compost, FYM
and inorganic fertilizers on changes in nutrient availability and enzyme activities in soil during different
physiological growth stages under a wheat-green gram crop rotation in an Inceptisol. The matured RP
enriched compost contained higher bioavailable P as well as total P content compared to farmyard manure.
Data revealed that application of inorganic fertilizers and RP enriched compost or FYM either alone or in
combination resulted in significant build-up in soil organic carbon, mineral N, Olsen-P and NH4OAc-K as
well as enzyme activities compared to unfertilized control plots during different physiological growth stages
of wheat and green gram. Plot receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched compost resulted in 100.8, 95.2 and 100.0
per cent greater build-up in Olsen-P over unfertilized control in crown root initiation (CRI), flowering and
maturity stage of wheat, respectively. Irrespective of treatments, build-up of mineral N, Olsen-P and NH4OAc-
K decreased in all the growth stages of green gram as compared to values obtained in wheat. The
dehydrogenase and phosphatase activities (alkaline and acid) were higher in flowering stage than maturity
and CRI stages of wheat. While, higher enzyme activities were obtained during pod formation in green
gram. The results demonstrated that enriched compost could be prepared using low-grade RP with rice straw
and used as an alternate nutrient source for improving crop yields, maintaining soil nutrient availability and
enzyme activities.
Key words: Residue recycling, rock phosphate, enriched compost, nutrient availability, enzyme activities
*Corresponding author: (Email: drb_ssac@yahoo.com)
Present addresses
1
Indian Institute of Soil Science, Nabibagh, Berasia Road,
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
2
Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Insti-
tute, New Delhi, 110012
3
Division of Agricultural Physics, Indian Agricultural Research
Institute, New Delhi, 110012
Management and recycling of farm wastes of diverse
organic sources into quality compost is becoming very
popular these days. Preparation and use of mineral
enriched compost has become an important compo-
nent of sustainable cropping systems and received
much interest in recent years as a means of increasing
soil organic matter and serves as the potential source
of nutrients for plant growth. It is estimated that ap-
proximately 550 million tonnes (Mt) of crop residues
are produced in India per year. The major share is the
rice residues which are usually burnt in the fields,
particularly in northern parts of Indo-Gangetic Plains
of India to save labour as well as to enable tillage and
seeding machinery to work efficiently and to sow the
next crop of wheat without loss of time. As a result,
substantial amounts of potent organic matter and nu-
trients are lost besides polluting the environment
(Yadvinder-Singh et al. 2005). The alternative means
to utilize crop residues and recycle them back to the
agricultural field is by composting technology, which
is recognized as an economical and sustainable op-
tion for management of agricultural waste and can be
followed at the local site of the produce, thus reduce
the ill effects of residue burning (Biswas 2011). In
recent years, interest in composting has also increased
because of the social demand for an environmental
friendly waste treatment technology and advent of or-
ganic farming. It is the most acceptable methods of
recycling of organic matter and agriculture residues
(Gaind et al. 2009; Antil and Raj 2012; Sharma et al.
2014).
2. 2014] NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND ENZYME ACTIVITIES UNDER WHEAT-GREEN GRAM 225
Cost of water soluble phosphatic fertilizers has
increased tremendously in India in recent times be-
cause of importing raw materials like high-grade rock
phosphate (RP) and sulphur, imposing heavy burden
on government exchequer. A substantial amount of
RP is available in India, but most of them are low-
grade and unsuitable for manufacturing of commer-
cial P-fertilizers as well as for direct use as a source
of P to crops, particularly in neutral and alkaline soils
(Narayanasamy and Biswas 1998). An alternative
means of improving the availability of P from RP
could be incorporating them into composting mass,
wherein the organic acids produced during the de-
composition of fresh organic matter help in the solu-
bilization of P from RP into plant available form
(Biswas and Narayanasamy 2006; Biswas et al. 2009).
Soil enzymes regulate the transformation of nu-
trients in soil required for plant growth (Saha et al.
2008). Transformation of organic P through enzymatic
reactions and immobilization of P in the biomass play
an important role in P cycling and are likely to be
affected by P amendments. However, there is limited
information available on the effect of enriched com-
post prepared using crop residues and low-grade RP
in soils under field conditions in intensive cropping
sequence on changes in soil available nutrients and
enzymes activities during crop growth stages in a
wheat-green gram crop rotation. The present study
was therefore aimed to prepare and assess the impact
of rock phosphate enriched compost and chemical fer-
tilizers on soil nutrient availability and enzyme activi-
ties during different physiological growth stages un-
der wheat-green gram crop rotation in an Inceptisol
of Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.
Materials and Methods
Mass Production and Analysis of Enriched Compost
Mass production of RP enriched rice straw com-
post was done at the Biomass Utilization Unit of IARI
as per the procedure outlined earlier by Biswas and
Narayanasamy (2006). For this, RP was obtained from
Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Ltd., Udaipur,
Rajasthan. The powdered RP (100-mesh particle size)
had 8.81% total P, 0.002% water soluble P (WSP),
1.29% citrate soluble P (CSP), 6.5% Ca, 5.6% Mg,
0.10% Fe, and 665, 21.7 and 41.7 mg kg-1
of Mn, Cu
and Zn, respectively. Rice straw was collected from
the Research Farm of IARI, New Delhi. It contained
total carbon (C) 49.8%, total N 0.53%, C/N ratio 93.9,
total P 0.04%, total K 1.07%, and Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn
content of 262, 33, 12 and 49 mg kg-1
, respectively.
The composting was done layer-wise, where rice straw
was spread on the floor of an area approximately 20
m × 2 m. A layer of RP (2% P, w/w) was spread over
rice straw. Then a layer of fresh cattle dung was
spread over the composting mass as natural inocu-
lants for faster decomposition. Water was added so as
to maintain the moisture content about 50-60%
throughout the composting period. Mechanical turn-
ings were employed at 30, 60 and 90 days of
composting to provide adequate aeration, thorough
mixing of composting mass and uniform decomposi-
tion.
Fresh samples of matured compost (120-days-
old) were drawn from three different locations and
divided into two portions. The first portion was kept
in a refrigerator at 4 o
C and used subsequently for
analysis of total N, mineral N (NH4
+
-N + NO3
-
-N) and
enzyme activities like dehydrogenase, acid
phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase; whereas the
other portion was oven-dried at 65±1 °C for 24 h,
ground to pass through a 2-mm sieve, and analyzed
for pH, EC, total C, N, P and K as well as Olsen-P,
WSP, CSP and NH4OAc-K as per the standard
procedures. The pH and EC were measured using
compost: water ratio of 1:5. Total C content was
determined by the ignition method. Total N content
was determined by the micro-Kjeldahl method
(Bremner and Mulvaney 1982). For determination of
total P and K, the di-acid digestion (HNO3:HClO4::
9:4) method was followed. Total P content was
determined by a spectrophotometer after developing
vanadomolybdo-phosphoric yellow colour complex,
while total K was determined by a flame photometer.
Mineral N (NH4
+
-N + NO3
-
-N) was determined by the
method as outlined by Keeney and Nelson (1982).
Olsen-P was determined using 0.5 M NaHCO3 (pH
8.5) extract (Olsen et al. 1954), while available K
was determined using 1 N NH4OAc (pH 7.0) (Hanway
and Heidel 1952). Dehydrogenase activity was
measured as per the method of Klein et al. (1971)
while, phosphates activity was measured as per the
procedure outlined by Tabatabai and Bremner (1969).
Water soluble carbon (WSC) was analyzed by
extracting sample with water followed by estimation
of carbon by wet digestion method (Walkley and
Black 1934). Bio-available P consisting of WSP and
CSP was determined as per the procedure outlined by
Fertiliser (Control) Order (FCO 1985). Similar
procedures were followed for characterization of
farmyard manure (FYM) and RP enriched compost.
Experimental Details and Soil Analyses
This experiment was conducted from November
2011 to November 2012 under a wheat-green gram
3. 226 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62
cropping system at the Research Farm, Indian Agri-
cultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Representa-
tive composite sample from surface soil (0–15 cm
depth) was collected from the experimental field for
initial soil properties. The soil belongs to Inceptisol,
member of coarse loamy, non-acid, mixed hyperther-
mic family of Typic Haplustept. Some of the physico-
chemical properties of the experimental soil were: tex-
ture sandy loam with sand 67.2%, silt 14.8% and clay
18.0%; pH 8.1, EC 0.35 dS m-1
, CEC 10.5 cmol(p+
)kg-1
soil, organic C 3.2 g kg-1
, mineral-N 21.2 mg kg-1
,
Olsen-P 12.4 kg ha-1
and NH4OAc-K 145 kg ha-1
.
The field experiment was carried out to assess
the impact of the RP enriched compost and FYM with
and without chemical fertilizers on soil nutrient avail-
ability and enzyme activities in a wheat-green gram
crop rotation. Six nutrient management practices con-
sisted of T1: control, T2:100% recommended dose of
fertilizer (100% NPK), T3: FYM @ 5.0 t ha-1
(FYM),
T4: RP enriched compost @ 5.0 t ha-1
(RP enriched
compost), T5: 50% NPK+ FYM @ 5.0 t ha-1
(50%
NPK+FYM) and T6: 50% NPK+ RP enriched com-
post @ 5.0 t ha-1
(50% NPK+RP enriched compost)
were followed. The experiment was laid out in a ran-
domized block design having plot size of 3.5 m × 4 m
each with three replications. Wheat (Triticum
aestivum) var. HD-2851 was grown as the first crop
and green gram (Vigna radiata) was grown as the
second crop to evaluate the direct and residual effects
of different nutrient management practices. The rec-
ommended doses of nitrogen (120 kg N ha-1
), phos-
phorus (60 kg P2O5 ha-1
) and potassium (60 kg K2O
ha-1
) as well as other treatments were computed as per
the treatment combinations. Urea and diammonium
phosphate (DAP) were used as the source of N, while
DAP and muriate of potash (MOP) were used as the
source of P and K, respectively. Whole quantities of
enriched compost, FYM and NPK fertilizers were ap-
plied at the last ploughing and mixed thoroughly into
the soil.
Soil samples were collected from each plot at
three physiological growth stages of wheat (crown
root initiation, CRI; flowering and maturity) and green
gram (flowering, pod formation and maturity) and ana-
lyzed for organic C (Walkley and Black 1934), min-
eral N (Keeney and Nelson 1982), Olsen-P (Olsen et
al. 1954), NH4OAc-K (Hanway and Heidel 1952) as
well as enzyme activities like dehydrogenase activity
(Klein et al. 1971), acid and alkaline phosphatase ac-
tivities (Tabatabai and Bremner 1969).
Statistical Analysis
The data were analysed for comparing means
employing analysis of variance and computing criti-
cal difference of different nutrient management dur-
ing different physiological growth stages on soil nu-
trient availability and enzyme activities using SPSS
window version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA).
Duncan multiple range test (DMRT) was performed
to see the difference between the treatments.
Results and Discussion
Quality of RP Enriched Compost vis-à-vis FYM
The quality of the matured RP enriched rice
straw compost vis-à-vis FYM in terms of their chemi-
cal composition and enzyme activities are presented
in table 1. It is evident that total C content in RP
Table 1. Characteristics of rock phosphate enriched compost and FYM (mean ± standard deviation)
Quality parameters RP enriched compost FYM
pH 7.74 ± 0.10 7.47 ± 0.17
Electrical conductivity (EC, dS m-1
) 3.72 ± 0.08 2.45 ± 0.13
Total organic C (TOC, %) 22.8 ± 0.90 34.6 ± 1.2
Water soluble C (WSC, %) 0.11 ± 0.04 0.02 ± 0.003
Total N (%) 1.51 ± 0.06 1.39 ± 0.03
C/N ratio 15.1 ± 0.35 24.9 ± 0.48
NH4
+
-N (mg kg-1
) 423 ± 31 393 ± 28
NO3
-
-N (mg kg-1
) 611 ± 60 549 ± 27
Total P (%) 2.42 ± 0.03 0.46 ± 0.06
Olsen-P (g kg-1
) 1.12 ± 0.07 0.65 ± 0.12
Water soluble P (WSP, %) 0.11 ± 0.003 0.36 ± 0.04
Citrate soluble P (CSP, %) 1.54 ± 0.06 0.08 ± 0.01
Total K (%) 1.29 ± 0.02 1.11 ± 0.02
NH4OAc-K (%) 0.55 ± 0.12 0.50 ± 0.05
Dehydrogenase activity (µg TPF h-1
g-1
compost) 85.5 ± 6.5 82.3 ± 7.4
Alkaline phosphatase (µg PNP h-1
g-1
compost) 1530 ± 25 997 ± 15
Acid phosphatase (µg PNP h-1
g-1
compost) 723 ± 3 405 ± 23
4. 2014] NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND ENZYME ACTIVITIES UNDER WHEAT-GREEN GRAM 227
enriched compost decreased substantially to 22.8%
compared to the initial total C in rice straw (49.8%).
On the other hand, total N content was increased to
1.51% in RP enriched compost compared to initial
total N content in rice straw (0.53% N). The total C
and N content in FYM used in this study for compari-
son was 34.6 and 1.39%, respectively. The loss of
total C in the matured RP enriched compost is attrib-
uted to the oxidation of organic matter (total C) as
CO2 and generation of heat during composting pro-
cess. The increase in total N in enriched compost over
the initial value of N in raw rice straw may be due to
the net loss of total C as CO2 and water by evapora-
tion during composting. This might also be due to
mineralization of N with the progress of composting
period. The results are in agreement with the work
done by Biswas and Narayanasamy (2006) and Biswas
et al. (2009).
The C/N ratio in enriched compost markedly de-
creased (15.1) compared to the raw rice straw which
had a C/N ratio of 93.9. In case of FYM, the C/N
ratio was 24.9. It is reported that the C/N ratio is one
of the main characteristics that describe the maturity
of compost. It gives an indication of N availability for
the process of biological degradation, and the decrease
in this ratio with composting time has been widely
reported as an indicator of maturity for composting
processes (Biswas et al. 2009). The narrowing of C/N
ratio with the progress of composting is because of
decomposition of organic matter wherein the C con-
tent of the compostable mixtures decreased with time
due to loss of carbon as CO2 in respiration, while N
content per unit material increased, which resulted in
the decrease of the C/N ratio. Similar results in de-
crease in total C and increase in total N content per
unit of material during the decomposition of different
organic wastes were reported by other workers
(Nishanth and Biswas 2008).
Farmyard manure had a lower P content (0.46%)
than RP enriched compost (2.42% P). The increase in
total P is attributed to contribution of P from RP in
enriched compost. The result confirms the findings of
earlier work of Biswas and Narayanasamy (2006).
However, it was observed that enriched compost had
lesser amounts of WSP content than FYM; while a
substantial improvement in CSP content was noticed
in enriched compost compared to FYM, indicating
that RP enriched compost had greater amounts of bio-
available P (WSP+CSP) than FYM. The carbonic acid
and organic acids produced during the decomposition
of organic matter solubilize apatite in the RP, result-
ing in the release of phosphate and calcium into the
solution (Biswas et al. 2009). Enriched compost also
had greater amounts of dehydrogenase, acid and alka-
line phosphatase activities compared to FYM, indi-
cating the better quality of enriched compost produced
using rice straw mixed with RP.
Changes in Soil Fertility
Soil organic carbon
It is evident that the soil organic carbon (SOC)
content increased significantly due to various nutrient
management practices in all the physiological growth
stages of wheat as compared to unfertilized control
plot (Table 2). The SOC content improved signifi-
cantly in plots receiving application of enriched com-
post and FYM alone as well as in combination with
50% NPK as compared to 100% NPK (T2) in all
growth stages of wheat. At CRI stage, SOC content
increased by 46.2 per cent with 100% NPK treated
plot over unfertilized control plot (3.7 g kg-1
). Fur-
ther, these values increased by 85.5 and 69.8 per cent
with combined application of 50% NPK+FYM (T5)
and 50% NPK+RP enriched compost (T6), respec-
tively. Similar trend in improvement in SOC contents
due to different nutrient management were also ob-
served at flowering and maturity stages of wheat. It is
evident that with the advancement of physiological
growth stages of wheat, SOC status decreased from
CRI stage to maturity stage irrespective of treatments.
Data also revealed that SOC was significantly influ-
enced by residual effect of various nutrient manage-
ment practices during different physiological growth
stages of green gram (Table 2). Data showed that
SOC varied from 3.4 to 4.9 g kg-1
in flowering; 3.3 to
4.8 g kg-1
in pod formation and 3.1 to 4.4 g kg-1
in
maturity stage of green gram due to different treat-
ments. The plot receiving 50% NPK+FYM resulted
in significantly higher SOC in all the growth stages
of green gram as compared to other treatments except
plot receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched compost. At
flowering stage, SOC increased by 26.1 per cent with
100% NPK treated plot over control, while, these val-
ues increased by 44.2 and 32.1 per cent with com-
bined application of 50% NPK+FYM and 50%
NPK+RP enriched compost, respectively.
The improvement in enhancing SOC in plot re-
ceiving 50% NPK along with enriched compost may
be attributed to balanced and integrated use of inor-
ganic and organic sources of nutrients. This may be
attributed to enhanced crop growth which in turn, re-
sulted in increased below-ground organic residues
(e.g., root biomass, rhizodeposition, root exudates
etc.), and thus raised the SOM status. The increased
SOM in enriched compost amended plots also may be
attributed to slower break down rate (less and con-
5. 228 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62
stant mineralization rate) of enriched compost in soil.
Kundu et al. (2007) reported that soil organic C con-
tent improved in fertilized plots as compared to the
unfertilized plots due to C addition through the roots
and crop residues, higher humification rate constant,
and lower decay rate. Similarly, in a long-term ex-
periment, Moharana et al. (2012) observed that the
SOC was considerably greater in soils receiving FYM
along with NPK fertilizer than in plots receiving
merely NPK fertilizer. In this study, the combination
of organic and inorganic fertilization enhanced the
accumulation of SOC, which is consistent with other
studies (Majumdar et al. 2008; Banger et al. 2009).
Mineral N
Mineral N (NH4
+
-N + NO3
-
-N) in soil increased
significantly due to application of RP enriched com-
post and FYM with and without inorganic fertilizers
during different physiological growth stages of wheat
than unfertilized control (Table 3). Among the nutri-
ent management practices, significantly higher amount
of mineral N in soils were observed in 100% NPK
treated plots in all the growth stages of wheat. It was
observed that plot receiving 100% NPK increased
mineral N by 93.3, 130.3 and 112.6 per cent over
control in CRI, flowering and maturity stages, respec-
tively. While, treatment receiving enriched compost
maintained significantly lower mineral N at CRI stage,
but registered higher build-up in mineral N at the lat-
ter stages, particularly at maturity. Further, it was ob-
served that combined application of 50% NPK+RP
enriched compost registered mineral N which was at
par with 100% NPK treated plot, but out yielded
higher mineral N in all the growth stages of wheat
than sole application of enriched compost or FYM.
Data revealed that significantly higher amounts of
mineral N in soils were observed in treatments receiv-
ing 50% NPK +RP enriched compost which resulted
in 91.4, 142.0 and 119.7 per cent greater build-up in
mineral N over unfertilized control in flowering, pod
formation and maturity stages of green gram, respec-
tively (Table 3). Sole application of FYM or RP en-
riched compost resulted in significantly lower mineral
N in all the physiological growth stages of green gram.
In general, build-up of mineral N decreased in all the
growth stages in green gram grown on residual fertil-
Table 2. Changes in soil organic C content during different physiological growth stages of wheat and green gram grown in
sequence as affected by application of RP enriched compost
Treatment Soil organic C (g kg-1
) content under
Wheat (direct effect) Green gram (residual effect)
CRI Flowering Maturity Flowering Pod formation Maturity
T1: Control 3.7d 3.6d 3.5c 3.4c 3.3c 3.1b
T2: 100% NPK 5.4c (46.2)# 4.7c (30.3) 4.3b (24.2) 4.3b (26.1) 4.3ab (27.1) 3.7b (14.0)
T3: FYM 6.2b (67.4) 5.7ab (56.8) 4.7b (33.8) 4.5ab (31.9) 4.3a (29.7) 4.0ab (22.9)
T4: RP enriched compost 5.7bc (55.7) 5.5bc (50.7) 4.6b (31.4) 4.3ab (26.5) 4.1b (21.8) 3.8b (15.2)
T5: 50% NPK+FYM 6.8a (85.5) 6.4a (76.3) 5.6a (61.5) 4.9ab (44.2) 4.8a (43.9) 4.8a (45.5)
T6: 50% NPK+RP enriched compost 6.3ab (69.8) 6.2a (72.6) 5.4a (53.9) 4.5a (32.1) 4.4ab (31.5) 4.2ab (28.6)
# Figure in parentheses indicate per cent increase over control
* For each parameter, different lower case letter within the same column indicate that the treatments are significantly different at
P<0.05 according to DMRT for separation of means
Table 3. Changes in mineral-N in soil during different physiological growth stages of wheat and green gram grown in sequence
as affected by application of RP enriched compost
Treatment Mineral N (mg kg-1
) content under
Wheat (direct effect) Green gram (residual effect)
CRI Flowering Maturity Flowering Pod formation Maturity
T1: Control 37.7d 47.9e 43.7e 37.8d 33.0d 36.8d
T2: 100% NPK 72.8a (93.3)# 110.3a (130.3) 92.9b (112.6) 58.8bc (55.6) 58.5c (77.0) 64.3b (74.7)
T3: FYM 46.1c (22.4) 72.7d (51.7) 60.3d (37.9) 43.1d (14.0) 50.5c (52.8) 55.5c (50.7)
T4: RP enriched compost 56.8b (50.7) 88.8c (85.4) 76.1c (74.1) 55.1c (45.9) 59.4c (79.7) 64.5b (75.4)
T5: 50% NPK+FYM 59.1b (57.1) 101.0b (110.8) 92.4b (111.4) 64.6b (70.9) 69.2b (109.6) 70.0b (90.2)
T6: 50% NPK+ RP enriched 71.3a (89.3) 112.7a (135.2) 102.1a (133.5) 72.3a (91.4) 79.9a (142.0) 80.8a (119.7)
compost
# Figure in parentheses indicate per cent increase over control
* For each parameter, different lower case letter within the same column indicate that the treatments are significantly different at
P<0.05 according to DMRT for separation of means
6. 2014] NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND ENZYME ACTIVITIES UNDER WHEAT-GREEN GRAM 229
ity compared to values obtained in wheat (direct ef-
fect) irrespective of treatments. According to Rees
and Castle (2002) application of manures leads to an
enrichment of the soil N pool, and increases the effi-
ciency of organic fertilizer by releasing higher min-
eral N. Organic manures release mineral N slowly,
which help in supplying higher mineral N to crops,
particularly latter stages of crops. A major proportion
of basal dose of fertilizers transforms into mineral N
and utilized by the crop during initial stages of crop
growth because of more requirement of N at the early
stage. These results suggest that integrated nutrient
management was more persistent in supplying min-
eral N in soil than only chemical N fertilizers.
Whereas, application of 100% organic could not main-
tain the level of mineral N in soil than that obtained
under inorganic or integrated sources.
Olsen-P
Application of RP enriched compost and inor-
ganic fertilizers to wheat had an immense impact on
dynamics of P release during different physiological
growth stages of crop because of mineralization of P
from RP enriched compost as evident from the greater
build-up in Olsen-P in soil (Table 4). At CRI stage,
plots receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched compost re-
sulted in significantly higher Olsen -P than other treat-
ments. Greater amounts of Olsen-P in soil were main-
tained due to 50% NPK+RP enriched compost treated
plot in flowering and maturity stages of wheat. It is
evident that treatment receiving 100% NPK recorded
significantly higher Olsen-P at CRI stage than RP en-
riched compost alone because of presence of higher
amount of water soluble P in the former. However,
RP enriched compost registered greater amount of
available P at the latter stages, particularly at maturity
which is comparable to 100% NPK treated plots. It is
also evident that the amounts of Olsen-P in soil de-
clined gradually in 100% NPK treated plot with the
advancement of physiological growth stages of wheat,
while these values were increased gradually due to
50% NPK+RP enriched compost treated plot. This
might be due to the fact that P content in RP enriched
compost, being less soluble, released P slowly and
maintained greater amounts of P in soil at the latter
part of the crop growth than the former which is more
water soluble form and subjected to greater fixation
in soil.
Significant release of available P due to com-
bined use of inorganic fertilizers and enriched com-
post clearly indicates the beneficial effect of integrated
nutrient management in enhancing available P in soils
during different growth stages of wheat. It is also
evident that enriched compost had a considerable re-
sidual effect on subsequent crop as evident from
greater build-up on Olsen-P in soils. This may be at-
tributed to increased availability of P (citrate soluble
and organic P) in RP enriched compost than FYM
(Biswas and Narayanasamy 2006). The released phos-
phate was then immobilized into the microbial cells
as evidenced by higher water soluble, citrate soluble
and organic P contents in the final product. Increase
in available P content during growth stages of wheat
may be attributed to the microbial P present in RP
enriched compost which acts as a slow release fertil-
izer due to its slow rate of decomposition and pro-
vides available P to plants for a longer period instead
of fixation and/or precipitation in soil minerals as in
case of commercial water soluble P-fertilizer (Verma
et al. 2013). This might be due to the fact that the
major P fraction added through RP enriched compost
is in the organic pool, which mineralized slowly with
time (Biswas and Narayanasamy 2006). That is why
increase in available P content in soil with P addi-
Table 4. Changes in Olsen-P in soil during different physiological growth stages of wheat and green gram grown in sequence as
affected by application of RP enriched compost
Treatment Olsen-P (kg ha-1
) in soil under
Wheat (direct effect) Green gram (residual effect)
CRI Flowering Maturity Flowering Pod formation Maturity
T1: Control 12.1e 12.6c 13.0d 12.1d 11.6d 11.1c
T2: 100% NPK 21.3ab (76.5)# 21.5ab (70.1) 19.9c (53.5) 17.1c (41.4) 16.0bc (37.9) 15.0b (35.3)
T3: FYM 15.7d (29.6) 17.1b (35.2) 18.6c (43.7) 15.8c (30.8) 15.7c (34.9) 15.6b (41.0)
T4: RP enriched compost 18.2cd (50.4) 19.2b (52.0) 20.8bc (60.5) 19.9b (64.9) 19.0b (63.3) 17.3b (55.7)
T5: 50% NPK+FYM 20.2bc (66.9) 20.9ab (65.7) 22.5b (73.6) 20.3b (68.4) 18.5b (59.4) 17.4b (57.4)
T6: 50% NPK+ RP enriched 24.3a (100.8) 24.6a (95.2) 25.9a (100.0) 23.5a (94.7) 22.6a (94.8) 21.7a (95.6)
compost
# Figure in parentheses indicate per cent increase over control
* For each parameter, different lower case letter within the same column indicate that the treatments are significantly different at
P<0.05 according to DMRT for separation of means
7. 230 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62
tions through inorganic fertilizer and RP enriched
compost is expected with the advance of growth stages
of wheat.
NH4
OAc-K
Significant build-up in NH4OAc-K was observed
due to application of organic and inorganic fertilizers
either alone or in combination in different physiologi-
cal growth stages of wheat over control (Table 5).
Plots receiving 100% NPK maintained significantly
higher NH4OAc-K in all the growth stages of wheat
than others except plots receiving 50% NPK+RP en-
riched compost which was at par. Plots receiving
100% NPK increased NH4OAc-K by 38.2, 44.2 and
42.3 per cent higher over control in CRI, flowering
and maturity stages, respectively. In general, higher
amounts of NH4OAc-K were found in the flowering
stage followed by pod formation and maturity stage
of green gram irrespective of treatments. It was evi-
dent that plot receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched com-
post increased NH4OAc-K by 29.5, 26.5 and 26.7 per
cent higher in flowering, pod formation and maturity
stages of green gram, respectively over control
Dehydrogenase Activity
Data revealed significant variations in dehydro-
genase activity in soils due to different nutrient man-
agement practices under present wheat-green gram ro-
tation (Fig. 1). It was evident that plots receiving
100% NPK increased dehydrogenase activity by 31.7
per cent over control. While, plots receiving FYM
and RP enriched compost resulted an increase in de-
hydrogenase activity by 39.3 and 47.1 per cent over
control, respectively. Dehydrogenase activity in-
creased further due to conjoint use of either FYM or
RP enriched compost with 50% NPK by 53.9 and
69.5 per cent, respectively over control. Irrespective
of treatments, dehydrogenase activities were higher in
the flowering stage than CRI and maturity stages of
wheat. Significantly higher dehydrogenase activity
was maintained due to application of 50% NPK+RP
enriched compost even in all the physiological growth
stages of green gram than other nutrient management
practices (Fig. 1). It improved dehydrogenase activity
by 82.4, 47.0 and 47.1 per cent over control at flow-
ering, pod formation and maturity stages of green
gram, respectively over control.
Dehydrogenase activity is considered an indica-
tor of overall microbial activity because it occurs in-
tra-cellularly in all living microbial cells, and it is
linked with microbial respiratory processes (Bolton et
al. 1985). Therefore, the use of dehydrogenase activ-
ity as an index of microbial activity has been sug-
gested by many workers (Nannipieri et al. 1990). Use
of different nutrient management promoted a signifi-
cant increase in dehydrogenase activity in wheat and
green gram rhizosphere compared to control. In gen-
eral, the peak dehydrogenase activity was observed in
flowering stage and then declined subsequent. The
lower values of dehydrogenase activity after flower-
ing may be explained by the fact that addition of more
stable organic matter may not improve the microbial
activity for a longer duration (Marzadori et al. 1996).
Saha et al. (2008) observed that manure application
increased soil dehydrogenase activity significantly.
The present results suggest that application of FYM
and RP enriched compost directly or indirectly influ-
ences the enzyme activity, which in turn regulates
nutrient transformation. Application of balanced and
integrated use of nutrients improved the organic mat-
ter status of soils, which enhanced dehydrogenase ac-
tivity. It was also observed in the present study that
dehydrogenase activity is less influenced by mineral
N fertilization, which is in agreement with the studies
Table 5. Changes in NH4OAc-K in soil during different physiological growth stages of wheat and green gram grown in
sequence as affected by application of RP enriched compost
Treatment NH4OAc-K (kg ha-1
) in soil under
Wheat (direct effect) Green gram (residual effect)
CRI Flowering Maturity Flowering Pod formation Maturity
T1: Control 158d 156d 151c 149d 143e 136e
T2: 100% NPK 219a (38.2)# 225a (44.2) 215a (42.3) 199a (33.5) 191a (33.9) 178a (30.9)
T3: FYM 181c (14.4) 186c (19.0) 178b (17.3) 169c (13.4) 158d (10.7) 155d (14.1)
T4: RP enriched compost 192bc (21.6) 200b (28.3) 190b (25.8) 173c (16.4) 162cd (13.5) 159cd (16.4)
T5: 50% NPK+FYM 196b (23.7) 200b (28.3) 191b (25.9) 182bc (21.9) 169c (18.3) 168bc (23.1)
T6: 50% NPK+ RP enriched 217a (37.3) 219a (40.2) 214a (41.5) 193ab (29.5) 180b (26.5) 173ab (26.7)
compost
# Figure in parentheses indicate per cent increase over control
* For each parameter, different lower case letter within the same column indicate that the treatments are significantly different at
P<0.05 according to DMRT for separation of means
8. 2014] NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND ENZYME ACTIVITIES UNDER WHEAT-GREEN GRAM 231
of Kautz et al. (2004). The stronger effects of FYM
or RP enriched compost on dehydrogenase activity
might be due to more easily decomposable compo-
nents of organic matter on the metabolism of soil mi-
croorganisms.
Phosphatase activity
Alkaline phosphatase activity increased signifi-
cantly due to application of RP enriched compost and
inorganic fertilizers in different physiological growth
stages of wheat than control (Fig. 2). Among the nu-
trient management practices, significantly higher
amount of alkaline phosphatase activity was observed
in 50% NPK+RP enriched compost treated plots in
all the crop growth stages. It was observed that plot
receiving 100% NPK increased alkaline phosphatase
activity by 13.1, 21.7 and 32.6 per cent over control
in CRI, flowering and maturity stages, respectively.
While, plot receiving RP enriched compost alone in-
creased alkaline phosphatase activity by 36.4, 33.5
and 47.0 per cent in CRI, flowering and maturity
stages, respectively. Further, it was observed that com-
*Error bars represent standard deviation of the mean.
**T1: Control; T2: 100% NPK; T3: FYM; T4: RP enriched compost; T5: 50% NPK+FYM; T6: 50% NPK+RP enriched compost
Fig. 2. Changes in alkaline phosphatase activity in soil as affected by RP enriched compost, FYM and inorganic fertilizer
application during different physiological growth stages of wheat and green gram
* Error bars represent standard deviation of the mean.
**T1: Control; T2: 100% NPK; T3: FYM; T4: RP enriched compost; T5: 50% NPK+FYM; T6: 50% NPK+RP enriched compost
Fig. 1. Changes in dehydrogenase activity in soil as affected by RP enriched compost, FYM and inorganic fertilizer application
during different physiological growth stages of wheat and green gram
9. 232 JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE [Vol. 62
bined application of 50% NPK+RP enriched compost
resulted in 50.3, 42.9 and 56.9 per cent greater alka-
line phosphatase activity in CRI, flowering and matu-
rity stages, respectively. Significantly higher amounts
of acid phosphatase activity was maintained in plots
receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched compost in all the
growth stages of wheat over plots receiving 100%
NPK as well as RP enriched compost applied alone
(Fig. 3). Plots receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched com-
post resulted in 76.4, 130.6 and 133.9 per cent greater
build-up in acid phosphatase activity over control.
Similar trend on acid phosphatase activity was ob-
served in case of green gram grown on residual fertil-
ity (Fig. 3). Plots receiving 50% NPK+RP enriched
compost resulted in 113.0, 106.2 and 106.1 per cent
greater acid phosphatase activity over control in flow-
ering, pod formation and maturity stages, respectively.
These values for 100% NPK treated plots were 36.1,
38.4 and 24.7 per cent over control in respective
stages.
Phosphatases are inducible enzymes excreted by
plant roots and soil organisms, which can be stimu-
lated by P starvation (Tarafdar and Jungk 1987).
Therefore, phosphatase activities have been regarded
as an important factor in maintaining and controlling
mineralization rate of soil organic P, and a good indi-
cator of P-deficiency (Vance et al. 2003). Mainte-
nance of acid phosphatase activity in unamended con-
trol soil confirms the report that organic manure/com-
post did not alter the enzyme-substrate affinity, while
mineral fertilizer reduced this affinity or changed the
composition and activity of soil microbiota
(Masciandro et al. 2000). The phosphatase activity
increases when the sources of nutrients have an equili-
brated balance between C and N (Nannipieri 1994).
Thus, integrated use of manures and fertilizers had
greater phosphatase activity than 100% NPK as evi-
denced in our present study.
Pearson’s correlation matrix revealed the exist-
ence of significant linear relationship (P<0.01) be-
tween soil nutrient availability and enzyme activity as
influenced by different nutrient management (Table
6). It was observed that SOC was significantly and
positively correlated with mineral N, Olsen-P and
NH4OAc-K in both wheat and green gram. Similarly,
SOC was correlated with all enzymes assayed except
alkaline phosphatase in wheat. Mineral N also showed
positive correlations with Olsen-P, NH4OAc-K, dehy-
drogenase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase
activity. Strong relationships were noticed between
Olsen-P with NH4OAc-K, dehydrogenase, alkaline
phosphatase and acid phosphatase activity. It was also
revealed that NH4OAc-K maintained positive relation-
ship with dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and
acid phosphatase activity. Further, dehydrogenase ac-
tivity shared a strong correlation with alkaline phos-
phatase and acid phosphatase activity, which are in-
volved in P transformation.
Conclusions
The results demonstrated that application of rock
phosphate enriched compost in combination with 50%
inorganic fertilizer is the most desirable in order to
improve nutrient availability and enzyme activities in
*Error bars represent standard deviation of the mean.
**T1: Control; T2: 100% NPK; T3: FYM; T4: RP enriched compost; T5: 50% NPK+FYM; T6: 50% NPK+RP enriched compost
Fig. 3. Changes in acid phosphatase activity in soil as affected by RP enriched compost, FYM and inorganic fertilizer applica-
tion during different physiological growth stages of wheat and green gram
10. 2014] NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND ENZYME ACTIVITIES UNDER WHEAT-GREEN GRAM 233
soil. Thus, it can be concluded from the present study
that enriched compost could be prepared using low-
grade rock phosphate and rice straw which could be
used as an alternate nutrient source for maintaining
soil nutrient availability and enzyme activities, thereby
50% costly chemical fertilizers could be saved.
Acknowledgments
The senior author thanks to the Indian Agricul-
tural Research Institute, New Delhi for providing fi-
nancial support as senior research fellowship during
his research work and the Head, Division of Soil Sci-
ence and Agricultural Chemistry, Indian Agricultural
Research Institute, New Delhi for providing facilities
for successful completion of the research works.
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0.744**
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0.749**
0.784**
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0.673**
0.589**
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0.804**
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Residual effect (Green gram)
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0.331*
0.764**
0.950**
1.00
**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level; *Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level
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Received 29 April 2014; Received in revised form 31 July 2014; Accepted 30 September 2014