Double zero tillage and foliar phosphorus fertilization coupled with microbial inoculants enhance maize productivity and quality in a maize–wheat rotation

Abstract

Maize is an important industrial crop where yield and quality enhancement both assume greater importance. Clean production technologies like conservation agriculture and integrated nutrient management hold the key to enhance productivity and quality besides improving soil health and environment. Hence, maize productivity and quality were assessed under a maize–wheat cropping system (MWCS) using four crop-establishment and tillage management practices [FBCT–FBCT (Flat bed–conventional tillage both in maize and wheat); RBCT–RBZT (Raised bed–CT in maize and raised bed–zero tillage in wheat); FBZT–FBZT (FBZT both in maize and wheat); PRBZT–PRBZT (Permanent raised bed–ZT both in maize and wheat], and five P-fertilization practices [P100 (100% soil applied-P); P50 + 2FSP (50% soil applied-P + 2 foliar-sprays of P through 2% DAP both in maize and wheat); P50 + PSB + AM-fungi; P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP; and P0 (100% NK with no-P)] in split-plot design replicated-thrice. Double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT system significantly enhanced the maize grain, starch, protein and oil yield by 13.1–19% over conventional FBCT–FBCT. P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP, integrating soil applied-P, microbial-inoculants and foliar-P, had significantly higher grain, starch, protein and oil yield by 12.5–17.2% over P100 besides saving 34.7% fertilizer-P both in maize and on cropping-system basis. P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP again had significantly higher starch, lysine and tryptophan content by 4.6–10.4% over P100 due to sustained and synchronized P-bioavailability. Higher amylose content (24.1%) was observed in grains under P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP, a beneficial trait due to its lower glycemic-index highly required for diabetic patients, where current COVID-19 pandemic further necessitated the use of such dietary ingredients. Double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT reported greater MUFA (oleic acid, 37.1%), MUFA: PUFA ratio and P/S index with 6.9% higher P/S index in corn-oil (an oil quality parameter highly required for heart-health) over RBCT-RBCT. MUFA, MUFA: PUFA ratio and P/S index were also higher under P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP; avowing the obvious role of foliar-P and microbial-inoculants in influencing maize fatty acid composition. Overall, double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT with crop residue retention at 6 t/ha per year along with P50 + PSB + AMF + 2FSP while saving 34.7% fertilizer-P in MWCS, may prove beneficial in enhancing maize productivity and quality so as to reinforce the food and nutritional security besides boosting food, corn-oil and starch industry in south-Asia and collateral arid agro-ecologies across the globe.

Microbes-mediated integrated nutrient management for improved rhizo-modulation, pigeonpea productivity, and soil bio-fertility in a semi-arid agro-ecology

“…The resultant favorable rhizospheric attributes with the application of FYM followed by VC > LC > RDF under both inoculated and un-inoculated treatments might be due to the better soil properties, especially, SOC, WSA, water holding capacity, lower BD, higher porosity, and higher microbial activity, which created easiness for the proper development of roots (Dar et al, 2017;Singh et al, 2020a;Kumar et al, 2022). Another reason for higher root development under FYM + MI might be the accelerated production of PGP and root growth-promoting hormones by microbial inoculants, such as IAA, phosphatase, and ACC deaminase (Helman et al, 2012). According to a report, there was a significant improvement in root volume (62%), root weight (74%), root length (54%), and root area (75%) due to MI inoculation (Mäder et al, 2011;Kumar et al, 2015).…”

“…Nowadays, microbial inoculants cultures are considered as a key component of plant nutrient management and fertility restoration that enhance soil microbial health, maintain soil fertility, improve crop growth and productivity thus make a contribution to sustainable agro-ecosystems ( Harish et al, 2022 ; Kumar et al, 2022 ). It is a component that aggregates an expansion of microbes-based bio-products primarily, whose bioactivities are vital to stimulate and enhance the biological functions of intricate soil-microbe-plant continuum ( Singh et al, 2019 ).…”

Double zero-tillage and foliar-P nutrition coupled with bio-inoculants enhance physiological photosynthetic characteristics and resilience to nutritional and environmental stresses in maize–wheat rotation

“…The number of days taken to 50% tasseling, 50% silking, and 50% flowering occurred early in ZT-based raised-bed (RB) or flat-bed (FB) plots owing to better plant establishment and vigorous growth due to temperature modulation, less water stagnation, more weed suppression and better nutrition under CA based CETMs over conventional tillage based CETMs ( Varatharajan et al, 2019a , b ; Faiz et al, 2022 ). Among P-fertilization practices, the combined action of PSB and AMF on P-solubilization as well as P-mobilization might have increased P-availability ( Kumar et al, 2015 ; Harish et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, 2% DAP foliar application may have increased N and P uptake through maize leaves.…”

“…Achieving food security globally without damaging the environment and meeting the day-to-day human needs is one of the vital objectives of sustainable agriculture under the aegis of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals ( Harish et al, 2022 ). In post-green revolution era, there have been enormous gains in crop yield that have brought food security besides boosting global economic growth, especially in India ( Singh et al, 2011 ; Choudhary et al, 2018 ; Daisy and Giridhara, 2021 ).…”

Integrated management enhances crop physiology and final yield in maize intercropped with blackgram in semiarid South Asia

“…Hence, understanding the crop physiological and crop growth mechanism behind yield increase may help in the extrapolation of newly developed crop management technologies to other crops with judicious use of external inputs and farm resources. It has become more essential under the aegis of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, clean environment and resources and clean production with appropriate climate action (Harish et al, 2022). As per an estimate, the world population will increase from the current 7.9 to 9.7 billion by 2050, hence, requiring ∼70-100% increase in the production of major cereal crops .…”