Effect of Biomulches on Soil Health in Irrigated Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Present investigation of research was conducted during 2019 rabi season (September to January) at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu, India in cv COSFV5 Sunflower to examine the impact of biomulches on soil properties such as chemical and biological properties of soil. Under different bi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironment and ecology Vol. 40; no. 3D; p. 1906
Main Authors Vidyashree, B S, Arthanari, P Murali
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kalyani MKK Publications 01.07.2022
Subjects
Actinomycetes
Biological properties
Enzymatic activity
Eucalyptus
Flora
Helianthus annuus
Leaves
Microorganisms
Mulches
Mustard
Neem
Nutrients
Potassium
Soil chemistry
Soil properties
Soils
Sunflowers
Tamil Nadu India
India
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Summary:Present investigation of research was conducted during 2019 rabi season (September to January) at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu, India in cv COSFV5 Sunflower to examine the impact of biomulches on soil properties such as chemical and biological properties of soil. Under different biomulches viz., live mulching with Sunhemp @ 40 kg ha-1, Multi varietal crops (Navathaniyam) @ 50 kg ha-1, Terminalia chebula powder @ 400 kg ha-1, Mango leaves @ 4 t ha-1, Tamarind leaf mulch @ 4 t ha-1, Eucalyptus leaves @ 7 t ha-1, Mustard seed powder @ 160 kg ha-1, Neem leaves @ 2.5 t ha-1, Two Hand weeding at 30 and 45 DAS and Weedy check @ Unmulched plot respectively. The field was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design, treatments were randomized with the three replications. The nitrogen (33.8 kg ha-1), phosphorous (14.9 kg ha-1) and potassium (76 kg ha-1) uptake was found maximum under Eucalyptus leaves @ 7 t ha-1. The experimental results indicated that higher microbial count (Actinomycetes, Fungi and Bacteria) were found. Thus, biomulching revealed that it significantly improved the interaction of microbial flora and soil enzymatic activities in rhizospheric soil which in turn influenced the soil health. This was attributed to the slow decomposition of mulches that added nutrients to soil which in turn enhanced the sunflower yields.
ISSN:0970-0420