A long-term field experiment started in 1995 on Research Farm of Department of Soil Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University Hisar (India) was selected to study the effects of organic manures and chemical fertilizers on productivity, seed quality and nutrient use efficiency of wheat under pearl millet-wheat cropping system. The organic manures (15 Mg FYM, 5 Mg poultry manure and 7.5 Mg pressmud) were applied alone and in combination with fertilizers (150 kg N + 30 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 ) and compared with chemical fertilizers applied alone (150 kg N + 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 and 75 kg N + 30 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 ). The results showed that the application of organic manures in combination with N and P fertilizers significantly increased all yield attributes, i.e. plant height, number of tillers/m row length, spike length, number of grains/spike. Higher grain yield of wheat (61.4, 57.4 and 62.7 q ha -1 ) was observed when recommended dose of N and half of P was applied in conjunction with FYM, poultry manure and pressmud, respectively. Grain yield of wheat increased by 13.5, 6.1 and 15.9%, respectively, under same treatments when compared with recommended dose of N and P fertilizers. Among the organic manures, highest yield (32.9 q ha -1 ) was obtained with pressmud application. However, application of organic manures alone resulted in poor yield and even lower than 50% recommended dose of N and P fertilizer. All the seed quality parameters (standard germination, shoot length, root length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour index-I and -II) improved with the combined application of organic manures and chemical fertilizers as compared to their individual application. The partial factor productivity of N and P increased with combined application organic manures and chemical fertilizer as compared to chemical fertilizers applied alone, however, nutrient harvest index and their utilization efficiency decreased with combined application of organic manures and fertilizers as compared to their individual application.
Statistical equations were derived for estimating three soil moisture constants, i.e. field capacity (FC), wilting point (WP) and available water capacity (AWC), from soil saturation percentage (SP), which is an easily determinable parameter. The regression equations were evaluated from a data set obtained on 438 soil samples collected from different horizons of 111 profiles of the Indogangetic Plains in northern India, having a wide variation of texture and other physico-chemical properties. The three soil moisture constants were positively correlated with logarithms of SP (r = 0-985 for FC v. In SP, 0-979 for WP v. In SP, and 0-914 for AWC v. In SP). The regression equations were then tested on an independent set of experimental data on 57 samples collected from 14 representative soil profiles of the study area. Values of the three moisture constants of this data set, predicted from the regression equations, were in exceptionally good agreement with the observed values. The mean estimation error (the error of the estimated value relative to the measured value) was only 0-55% for FC, 0-12% for WP and 0-67% for AWC.
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