tailieunhanh - Availability of mineral nitrogen in soil under maize + soybean intercropping system

This field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2014 and 2015 at the Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur () to find out the effect of crop arrangement and nutrient management on availability of nutrients under maize and soybean intercropping system. Treatments comprised of six cropping arrangements viz. sole maize (C1), sole soybean (C2), two replacement series of maize + soybean (2:2, C3 and 2:4, C4), two additive series in which two rows (C5) and one row (C6) of soybean were added in-between two rows of maize and four fertility levels viz. 125% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) (F1), 100% RDF (F2), 75% RDF (F3) and 50% RDF (F4). Two control plots; control1 and control2 (From the two additive series plots soybean rows were omitted and the space between paired row of maize were left fellow) were planted in order to calculate the amount of mineral nitrogen supplemented by soybean to maize. Results of this experiment show the higher availability of nutrients in soil under intercropping over sole plantation. Out of six crop arrangements 2:4 replacement series of maize and soybean showed the highest availability of NH4 + -N and NO3 - -N in soil and this was closely followed by maize + soybean 2:2 crop arrangement. However, the lowest availability of mineral nitrogen was observed from the sole soybean. Among different nutrient management the highest and lowest availability of aforesaid nutrients were reported in the treatment fertilized with 125% and 50% RDF, respectively. Intercropped treatments exhibited and per cent higher availability of NH4 + -N and and 7 per cent higher availability NO3 - -N in soil in comparison to control1 and control2, respectively. Around kg ha-1 higher available mineral nitrogen (NH4 + -N + NO3 - -N) was reported under intercropping treatments than control plots. This additional amount of available NH4 + -N and NO3 - -N was supplied by the soybean through biological nitrogen fixation. | Availability of mineral nitrogen in soil under maize + soybean intercropping system