Characterization, evaluation and management of land resources in Shegaon watershed of Chandrapur district of Maharashtra were carried out using IRS-LISS-IV and LISS-III data and GIS coupled with ground truth verification. Six major landform units viz. isolated mound, subdued plateau, upper pediment, lower pediment, upper plain and lower plain were identified and delineated. Based on image characteristics, the major land use/ land cover identified were cultivated land, wasteland with and without scrub, habitation and water bodies. Cultivated land is again delineated into single and double crop based on temporal data. Seven soil series were tentatively identified and mapped as series and complex with phases on 1:12, 500 scales based on landform-soil relationship. Soils occurring on moderately sloping (8-15%) isolated mound were very shallow, well drained (Typic Ustorthents) whereas soils on subdued plateau were shallow belong to Lithic and Typic Haplustepts sub-groups. Typic and Vertic Haplusterts in complex were identified on gently sloping (1-3%) upper pediment. Soils of lower pediments were deep Typic Haplusterts. Upper plain lands of the watershed had very deep, (Typic Haplusterts) whereas soils of lower plains were Sodic Haplusterts. These soils were grouped IIIs, IIIsf, IVs, IVf, IVsf and VIs land capability sub-classes and 2st, 3st, 4s and 4st land irrigability sub-classes. The soil suitability class indicated that very shallow to shallow soils are potentially suitable (N1) to marginally suitable while deep to very deep soils are marginally to moderately suitable to paddy, cotton, soybean, sorghum, red gram and chickpea crops. Suitable conservation measures and interventions have been suggested to improve the productivity of these soils.
A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of integrated nutrient management in conventional and reduced tillage system on soil quality and productivity of rainfed cotton in Vertisols at Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra. The experiment was carried out during 2005-06 to 2009-10 in Factorial Randomized Block Design with twelve treatment combinations and three replications. The treatments consisted of tillage (conventional and minimum), nutrient management viz., 100% RDF, 50% RDF with graded doses of farmyard manure (5, 10 and 15 t/ha) and in situ green manuring with dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata). The pooled results revealed that numerically higher seed cotton yield and sustainable yield index (SYI) was recorded in minimum tillage as compared to conventional tillage. The application of 50% RDF + FYM @ 15 t/ha recorded significantly higher seed cotton yield, SYI and soil quality index (SQI) alongwith significant improvement in physical, chemical and biological properties of Vertisols. However, application of FYM @ 10 t/ha along with 50% RDF also sustained the cotton productivity and was on par with application of FYM @ 15 t/ha + 50% RDF in respect of cotton productivity and soil fertility. Hence, it is recommended that the integrated application of FYM @ 10 t/ha along with 50% RDF was beneficial in improving soil quality and sustaining the rainfed cotton productivity in Vertisols under semi-arid conditions of Maharashtra.
Field experiment was conducted during [2006][2007] to study the effect of phosphorus management in greengram-safflower sequence in a Vertisol. The twelve treatments and three replications designed in RBD consisted of 100% RDF (20:40:20 NPK kg/ ha to greengram and 25:25:25 NPK kg/ ha to safflower), 50% recommended P, No P, 50% recommended P + PSB (25 g/ kg seed), 5 t FYM/ ha, 5 t FYM/ ha + PSB applied in various combinations to greengram in kharif and safflower in rabi season. The results indicated that application of 100 % recommended P along with recommended N and K significantly enhanced the yield of greengram and safflower. However, these results were comparable with application of 50 % P (20 kg/ ha to greengram and 12.5 kg/ ha to safflower) + PSB along with recommended dose of N (20 kg/ ha to greengram and 25 kg/ ha to safflower) and K (20 kg/ ha to greengram and 25 kg/ ha to safflower) to greengram and safflower in crop productivity with higher nutrient uptake and apparent nutrient balance. The higher P use efficiency was observed with the application of 50 % recommended P to both the crops alongwith PSB.
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