Abstract
Rice-rice system is the foundation of food security in South Asian countries. Assessment of the quality and resilience of soil for sustaining productivity of the double rice system is extremely important under an impending climate change scenario. This study aims to evaluate the long-term effect of fertilization and manuring on the quality, resilience, and productivity of the soil. Samples were collected from 32-year-old long-term rice-rice cropping system situated at the Regional Rice Research Station of Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Titabar, Assam, from eight treatments, viz. control, 100% nitrogen (N), 100% nitrogen phosphorus potassium (NPK) zinc with sulfur (ZnS), 100% NPK zinc without sulfur (Zn-S), 50% NPK+50% green manuring (GM)-N, 50% NPK+50% farmyard manure (FYM)-N, 50% NPK+25% GM-N+25% FYM-N, and FYM at the rate of 10 t ha−1 at 0–15cm soil depth. Soil quality was assessed and soil resilience index (SRI) was calculated in terms of carbon mineralization with or without heat stress (48 °C for 24 h) and substrate addition (0.02 g glucose/g soil) and validated with soil quality index (SQI), soil organic carbon (SOC), and yield attributes. Available zinc (Zn), available potassium (K), acid phosphatase activity (ACP), and bulk density (BD) were selected as the key indicators of soil quality. Integrated treatment with 50% NPK+25% GM-N+25% FYM-N had the highest SQI. With an SRI value of 0.84, the 50% NPK+25% GM-N+25% FYM-N treatment was the most resilient to heat stress, whereas control soil was the least resilient. The SQI and SRI had a strong agreement (73%) with each other. Regression analysis between SRI and annual rice yield showed 73% agreement between each other. Integrated management practices may be recommended for rice-growing farmers in Assam for maintaining the quality, resilience, and productivity of the soil.
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The authors are grateful to the Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, for funding through the project entitled “Identification of key indicators and establishment of their critical limits in assessing soil quality under different agro-ecological regions of India” under Early Career Research Award Scheme (ECR/2017/002908) and ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, for providing necessary facilities for the study. The first author is highly indebted to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, for extending financial assistance in terms of a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) towards the completion of this research work.
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Tripathy, S., Biswas, S., Singh, P. et al. Soil Quality, Resilience, and Crop Productivity Under 32-Year-Old Long-term Rice-Rice System in Acidic Alfisol of Assam. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 23, 5333–5344 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01405-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01405-1