Effects of organic fertilizer incorporation practices on crops yield, soil quality, and soil fauna feeding activity in the wheat-maize rotation system

Abstract

The decline in soil quality is becoming a significant process of soil degradation. Optimizing organic fertilizer incorporation practices in cropland is essential to enhancing crop productivity and soil health. However, that requires a comprehensive understanding of crop yield and soil quality reaction across an application gradient of organic fertilizer. We investigated the effect of organic fertilizer incorporation practices on crop yield, soil quality, and fauna feeding activity from fluvo-aquic soils on wheat (Triticum aestivum)-maize (Zea mays) rotation field. The six treatments included were unfertilized N control (UC), traditional chemical fertilizer application (TF, 600 N kg ha−1 year−1), and recommended chemical fertilization (RF, 400 N kg ha−1 year−1) with no organic fertilizer application rate, low-level 15.0 (RFLO), medium-level 30.0 (RFMO), and high-level 45.0 t ha−1 year−1 (RFHO) application, respectively. The research findings show that the yield with organic fertilizer incorporation treatments increased 26.4%–44.6% for wheat and 12.5%–40.8% for maize compared to RF plots. The long-term organic fertilizer incorporation rate increased organic carbon from 54.7% to 110.6% versus UC plots and 27.9%–74.0% versus chemical fertilizer (TF and RF) treatments, and the total nitrogen content of soil increased from 41.8% to 59.2%, and 24.6%–39.2%. The long-term inorganic fertilizer combined with organic fertilizer incorporation practices significantly enhanced soil sucrose (30.1%–51.9%), urease (28.4%–38.3%), and β-1,4-glucosidase (34.6%–122.4%) activity. Still, nitrite reductase, polyphenol oxidase, and catalase significantly lower 27.3%–49.9%, 8.5%–26.3% and 23.3%–34.3% than single applications of inorganic N fertilizer groups. Meanwhile, the results showed that organic fertilizer incorporation practices improved soil fauna feeding activity by 35.2%–42.5%, and the excessive application of inorganic N fertilizer reduced the activity level of soil fauna.

Evaluation of selected organic fertilizers on conditioning soil health of smallholder households in Karagwe, Northwestern Tanzania

“…Additionally, the highest soil CEC was observed on HU-treated household farms. The addition of organic fertilizer to household farms is thought to be the cause of the higher CEC in the soils [ 18 , 47 ]. However, Table 1 shows that there were no significant variations in soil CEC between household farms treated with StC and SF, or between household farms treated with StC and NFM and farms treated with SF and NFM ( p > 0.05).…”

“…According to Table 1 , household farms applied with BS had the highest SOC, followed by AM-applied household farms, while household farms applied with NFM had the lowest SOC. However, the increased CEC according to Zhou et al [ 18 ] is a result of incorporating organic fertilizers to household farms. The SOC content of soils applied with SF and AM did not show any noticeable difference ( p > 0.05) ( Table 1 ).…”

“…3 a, b, c), Ca, Mg, and Na ( Table 1 ). Zhou et al [ 18 ] reported a significant change in the amount of macronutrients following the application of organic fertilizers. However, the zonation data show that there were no statistically significant differences ( p > 0.05) in N, P, K ( Fig.…”

“…Organic fertilizer refers to naturally occurring organic materials that contain sufficient nutrients to enhance soil health [ 16 , 17 ]. Through the provision of a variety of soil nutrients, organic fertilization techniques offer an efficient means of sustainably preserving soil health over time [ 15 , 18 , 19 ]. Several studies have demonstrated that adding organic fertilizers to the soil alters the soil's organic matter (SOM), acidity, and cation exchange capacity (CEC), while also increasing soil moisture content [ 15 , 18 , 20 ].…”

“…Through the provision of a variety of soil nutrients, organic fertilization techniques offer an efficient means of sustainably preserving soil health over time [ 15 , 18 , 19 ]. Several studies have demonstrated that adding organic fertilizers to the soil alters the soil's organic matter (SOM), acidity, and cation exchange capacity (CEC), while also increasing soil moisture content [ 15 , 18 , 20 ]. Increasing the amount of SOM enhances the level of soil organic carbon (SOC), which is a vital precursor to essential and trace elements [ 21 ].…”