Effect of crop residue incorporation on physical and chemical properties of soil under rice-wheat, guar-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during May 2018 to April 2020 at agricultural research farm of Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda. The experiment was carried out by incorporating kharif crops viz., rice, guar, cotton and rabi crop viz., wheat residues in combination There were twelve treatments in randomized block design with three replications. Incorporation of crop residues (rice straw and wheat straw) resulted in increase in soil organic carbon, electrical conductivity (EC) and porosity (%) of soil although decrease in bulk density and soil pH was found due to crop residue application. In 2018-19, the highest organic carbon content was recorded for the treatment T5 (0.54%) where crop residues (both cotton and wheat) were incorporated and the lowest was recorded for T4, T 8 and T 12 (0.42%) and in 2019-20, combine application of both cotton and wheat residues exerted significant positive effect on soil organic carbon content and the highest organic carbon content was recorded for the treatment T5 (0.76%).