Moisture and sulphur deficiency in soil are major reasons for low productivity of mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.] in rainfed semi-arid areas. To overcome this problem a field experiment was conducted during 2013-15 to find out the effect of conservation agriculture and sulphur fertilization on productivity and resource-use efficiency of mustard under rainfed conditions. Five tillage and residue management practices, i.e. conventional tillage with 0, 2 and 4 t/ha crop residue; zero tillage with 2 and 4 t/ha crop residue were allocated to main plots and four sulphur levels (0, 15, 30 and 45 kg S/ha) in sub-plots. Result showed that zero tillage with 4 t/ha crop residue produced 24.6% higher mustard seed yield than conventional tillage without residue resulted maximum net returns (44.7 × 103 ₹/ ha). Similarly, highest water use efficiency (12.7 kg/ha mm) and total nutrient uptake were also recorded in the same treatment. Increasing levels of sulphur (S) up to 45 kg/ha significantly increased seed and oil yield (37.5%). However, sulphur use efficiency was decreased with graded levels of sulphur. Conversely, higher net returns (47.6 × 103 ₹/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (1.89) were fetched with 45 kg S/ha.
An integrated forage-legume cropping system has immense potential to address the issue of land degradability. It provides a critical understanding of the capacity of diversified species mixes vs. monocultures to boost forage production and the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and phosphorus (P). In this study, we assessed the performance of Napier Bajra Hybrid (NBH) (Pennisetum glaucum × P. purpureum) + cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and tri-specific hybrid (TSH) (P. glaucum × P. purpureum × P. squamulatum) + cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) as compared to monocultures of NBH and TSH. The legume equivalent yield of NBH + cowpea and TSH + cluster bean intercropping systems were found −31% and −23% higher than monoculture systems. The SOC increased by −5% in the NBH + cowpea system as compared to NBH monoculture. The carbon mineralization rates under NBH + cowpea and TSH + cluster bean were −32% and −38% lower than the NBH and TSH monoculture cropping systems, respectively. It was found that the legume intensification with the forage significantly improved the soil’s P status. The research suggested that coalescing diverse crops (e.g., grass and legume) poses enormous potential for sustaining soil health and productivity in semi-arid regions of India. This study advances the research on characterizing the crucial factors of grass-legume-based cropping systems and helps in assessing the impact of these factors on long-term sustainability.
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