Evaluating chemical and biological properties of soil as influenced by various farming practices in soybean

Abstract

The field experiment evaluating chemical, and biological properties of soil under various farming practices was conducted at Agronomy farm, College of Agriculture, Pune during May 2023 to November 2023. The experiment was laid in Randomized Block Design comprising four replications with five treatments viz.,1. Farmers practice,2. MPKV recommended package of practices, 3. Organic farming, 4. Natural farming and 5. Climate resilient farming. The soybean was grown as a test crop. The soil chemical properties viz., pH, EC, calcium carbonate remained unaffected. There was increase in available macro and micronutrient content in soil as influenced due to different farming practices. The available nitrogen (146.71 kg ha-1), available phosphorus (15.47 kg ha-1), available potassium (469.03 kg ha-1) and available sulphur (14.50 mg kg-1) were recorded significantly higher in the climate resilient farming practice. The organic farming found beneficial in respect of available micronutrient, microbial population and enzymatic activities. The organic farming practices significantly influenced the availability of micronutrients viz., iron (5.75 mg kg-1), manganese (2.88 mg kg-1), zinc (2.31 mg kg-1) and copper (3.38 mg kg-1). Organic farming significantly enhanced microbial populations (bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, Rhizobium, PSB, KMB) and enzymatic activities (alkaline and acid phosphatase, dehydrogenase, urease) at 50% flowering and harvest stage indicating improved soil biological health and nutrient cycling due to addition of organic matter in soil.