PJB-2017-612
STUDY OF CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL AS AFFECTED BY DIFFERENT FALLOW TILLAGE COMBINATIONS INTEGRATED WITH GLYPHOSATE IN FALLOW-WHEAT RAIN-FED CROPPING SYSTEM
SAFDAR ALI
Abstract
Now a day’s conservation agriculture is extensively known as an important aspect of sustainable agriculture having its widespread impacts on environment and socio-economic sustainability. Therefore the evaluation of this technology in our agro-ecology is necessary before its recommendation; so, a consecutive study for two years was conducted in field experiments at University Research Farm of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi to evaluate the impact of different tillage combinations integrated with glyphosate herbicide on chemical properties of soil such as organic matter percentage, nitrogen contents, phosphorus contents and potash contents of soil and their association to wheat productivity. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. Seven tillage treatments viz. T1: Once Mould board plowing followed by 8 cultivations, T2: No-till followed by twice application of glyphosate herbicide, T3: Once Mould board plowing followed by twice application of glyphosate herbicide, T4: Once Mould board plowing followed by 4 cultivations, T5: Once disc harrowing followed by twice application of glyphosate herbicid, T6: Once disc harrowing followed by 4 cultivations and T7: Once chisel plowing followed by twice application of glyphosate herbicid were applied in the fallow periods (summer seasons) of both years (2012-13 and 2013-14), whereas, wheat was grown in winter seasons respectively. Soil samples were taken from two soil depths i.e. 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm at two stages i.e. pre-sowing of wheat and post-harvesting of wheat for the determination of soil quality. Results pertaining to mean data of two years showed that organic matter and nitrogen contents of soil were significantly affected by tillage systems, but phosphorus and potash contents were not affected significantly. Similarly, environmental conditions of two sowing years also significantly affected the organic matter percentage, nitrogen contents and phosphorus contents of soil, but it showed non-significant results for potash contents. Both soil depths showed highly significant results for all studied chemical properties of soil, whereas, two sampling stages showed significant results for organic matter percentage and nitrogen contents but non-significant for phosphorus and potash contents of soil. The wheat production was significantly higher in tillage system having deep tillage with mould board plough following 8 and 4 shallow cultivations which were statistically at par with each other, but the cluster analysis grouped the treatments of once deep tillage with mould board plough following 8 shallow cultivations and tillage with disc harrowing followed by glyphosate twice application into same group that confirms that frequent tillage and disc harrowing of weeds into soil improved the chemical properties of soil. Tillage intensity showed a strong and positive relationship with wheat productivity. Correlation analysis confirmed that all physical and chemical properties have a positive relationship with wheat production. So, in crux once mould board plowing following 4 cultivations in fallow period before sowing of wheat is recommended for sustaining soil fertility and harvesting economical yield of wheat under similar agro-ecological zones of Pakistan.
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