Vol. 10, Issue 1 (2021)

Author(s):
Mamta Phogat, Rita Dahiya, PS Sangwan, SK Kakraliya, Vishal Goyal, M Santhosh Kumar and Sunil Kumar

Abstract:
A field experiment “Effect of long term zero tillage and different moisture regimes on NPK uptake by wheat in legume based cropping systems of north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains” was conducted during 2017-18 and 2018-19 on an on-going long term experiment on ‘Effect of varying moisture regimes in zero-till wheat succeeding mungbean and sorghum’ since 2006 at, CCS HAU, Hisar. The experiments consisted of two cropping systems (mungbean-wheat, MW and sorghum-wheat, SW), three tillage practices viz. CT-CT (conventional tillage in both kharif & rabi seasons), CT-ZT (conventional tillage in kharif & zero tillage in rabi seasons) and ZT-ZT (zero tillage in both kharif & rabi seasons); and three moisture regimes {IW/CPE = 0.60(M0.60), 0.75 (M0.75) and 0.90 (M0.90)}. The adoption of ZT-ZT practice increased uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as compared to CT-ZT and CT-CT practices in all the moisture regimes under mungbean-wheat and sorghum-wheat cropping systems. The uptake of nitrogen was significantly higher in mungbean-wheat cropping system (41.83 and 57.21%) as compared to sorghum-wheat cropping system by grain and straw, respectively. It was significantly highest in ZT-ZT (109.44 and 99.46; 156.91 and 117.34%) as compared to CT-CT over all the moisture regimes under mungbean-wheat and sorghum-wheat cropping systems by grain and straw, respectively. In present study, uptake of nitrogen was significantly highest at M0.90 (36.79 and 17.84; and 49.68 and 24.43%) as compared to M0.60 over all the tillage practices in mungbean-wheat and sorghum-wheat cropping systems by grain and straw, respectively. The similar trends were observed for uptake of phosphorus and potassium by the wheat grain and straw. Therefore long term zero tillage with inclusion of legumes can be a promising alternative to sustainably increase uptake of nutrients in soil for cereal-cereal cropping systems which ultimately plays a pivotal role to sustain the crop productivity and optimum ecosystem functioning with improving soil health.