Potato production through bio-resources: Long-term effects on tuber productivity, quality, carbon sequestration and soil health in temperate Himalayas

2016 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 152-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jai Paul ◽  
Anil K. Choudhary ◽  
S. Sharma ◽  
Savita ◽  
Mamta Bohra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Long Term Effects

scholarly journals Simple Soil Tests for On-Site Evaluation of Soil Health in Orchards

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 6009
Author(s):  
Esther O. Thomsen ◽  
Jennifer R. Reeve ◽  
Catherine M. Culumber ◽  
Diane G. Alston ◽  
Robert Newhall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Soil Tests ◽  
Site Evaluation ◽  
Positive Correlations

Standard commercial soil tests typically quantify nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, and salinity. These factors alone are not sufficient to predict the long-term effects of management on soil health. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness and use of simple physical, biological, and chemical soil health indicator tests that can be completed on-site. Analyses were conducted on soil samples collected from three experimental peach orchards located on the Utah State Horticultural Research Farm in Kaysville, Utah. All simple tests were correlated to comparable lab analyses using Pearson’s correlation. The highest positive correlations were found between Solvita® respiration, and microbial biomass (R = 0.88), followed by our modified slake test and microbial biomass (R = 0.83). Both Berlese funnel and pit count methods of estimating soil macro-organism diversity were fairly predictive of soil health. Overall, simple commercially available chemical tests were weak indicators of soil nutrient concentrations compared to laboratory tests. Modified slake tests, Solvita® respiration and soil organism biodiversity counts may be efficient and cost-effective tools for monitoring soil health on-site.

scholarly journals Long-Term Biosolids Applications to Overgrazed Rangelands Improve Soil Health

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1339
Author(s):  
Cassidy M. Buchanan ◽  
James A. Ippolito
Keyword(s):  
Soil Health ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Health Indices ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Biosolids Application

Overgrazed rangelands can lead to soil degradation, yet long-term land application of organic amendments (i.e., biosolids) may play a pivotal role in improving degraded rangelands in terms of soil health. However, the long-term effects on soil health properties in response to single or repeated, low to excessive biosolids applications, on semi-arid, overgrazed grasslands have not been quantified. Using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), soil physical, biological, chemical, nutrient, and overall soil health indices between biosolids applications (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 21, or 30 Mg ha−1) and application time (single: 1991, repeated: 2002) were determined. Results showed no significant changes in soil physical and nutrient health indices. However, the chemical soil health index was greater when biosolids were applied at rates <30 Mg ha−1 and within the single compared to repeated applications. The biological soil health index was positively affected by increasing biosolids application rates, was overall greater in the repeated as compared to the single application, and was maximized at 30 Mg ha−1. The overall soil health index was maximized at rates <30 Mg ha−1. When all indices were combined, and considering past plant community findings at this site, overall soil health appeared optimized at a biosolids application rate of ~10 Mg ha−1. The use of soil health tools can help determine a targeted organic amendment application rate to overgrazed rangelands so the material provides maximum benefits to soils, plants, animals, and the environment.

scholarly journals Long-term effects of fertilizer and manure application on soil quality and sustainability of jute-rice-wheat production system in Indo-Gangetic plain

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1793-1800 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. K. Kundu ◽  
S. P. Mazumdar ◽  
D. Ghosh ◽  
A. R. Saha ◽  
B. Majumdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phosphatase Activity ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Rice Grain ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Available Nitrogen ◽  
Npk Fertilizers ◽  
Gangetic Plain ◽  
Organic C

A long-term fertilizer experiment was initiated in 1971 in sandy loam soil (Eutrochrept) of Barrackpore, West Bengal to study the effects of applying organic and inorganic sources of nutrients on yield of jute-rice-wheat system and soil health. The unfertilized soil supported yields of 0.8 t ha-1 of jute fibre, 1.5 t ha-1 of rice grain and 0.7 t ha-1 of wheat grain (average yield of 42 years). Application of 150% recommended NPK through chemical fertilizers produced maximum yields of jute (2.1 t ha-1), rice (3.8 t ha-1) and wheat (2.8 t ha-1). The yields obtained with 150% NPK fertilizers were 5%, 2.7% and 12% higher than that with 100% NPK fertilizers +FYM. Combined application of 100% NPK fertilizers and FYM, however, increased soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from 5.60 to 8.90 g kg-1, 270 to 316 kg ha-1, 40.7 to 120 kg ha-1 and 139 to 236 kg ha-1 respectively. Maximum DTPA-extractable micronutrients in soil were also observed with 100%NPK fertilizers+FYM. Applying FYM together with NPK fertilizers increased microbial biomass from 221 to 435 mg kg-1 and microbial quotient from 3.95 to 4.89 with concomitant increase in dehydrogenase, phosphatase and fluorescein-diacetate-hydrolyzing activities in the soil. The acid phosphatase activity (139 to 275 μg PNPg-1 h-1) was much lower than alkaline phosphatase activity  (479 to 616 μg PNPg-1 h-1). The enzymes assayed showed significant correlation with microbial-C and organic C. Beneficial effects of integrated nutrient management (NPK+FYM) on soil health were reflected on the yields of all the crops.

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