B. L. KUMHAR, K. K. AGRAWAL, A. K. JHA, J. PATIDAR, V. KUMAR, S. KUMAR AND SATPAL
Dr. B. R. Choudhary Agricultural Research Station, Mandor, Agriculture University, Jodhpur
College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur
Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
*(e-mail: prajapatiagro09@gmail.com)
(Received: 9 December 2025; Accepted: 29 December 2025)
SUMMARY
Good soil health is utmost essential to management strategies for tackling the issues of soil health deterioration and over exploitation of underground water resources, particularly in intensive cropping systems. Therefore, a long term four years study was conducted to evaluate soil health under different eight grass based cropping systems (GBCS) i.e. pearl millet napier (PN) hybrid sole crop (T1), guinea grass sole crop (T2), PN hybrid in paired rows + rice bean (kharif) – egyption clover (rabi) (T3), PN hybrid in paired rows + Desmanthus (T4), PN hybrid in paired rows + Sesbania grandiflora (T5), guinea grass in paired rows + rice bean (kharif) – egyption clover (rabi) (T6), guinea grass in paired rows + Desmanthus (T7) and guinea grass in paired rows + Sesbania grandiflora (T8). Soil samples were collected from 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm at initial of experiment July 2016 and end of experiment June 2020. Results showed, that reduction in bulk density (BD), electrical conductivity, soil pH. The lowest BD 1.31 at 0-15, 1.42 at 15-30 and 1.46 at 30-40 cm soil depth was recorded with the application of PN hybrid in paired rows + Desmanthus, PN hybrid in paired rows + rice bean (kharif) – egyption clover (rabi) and PN hybrid in paired rows + Sesbania grandiflora respectively. Electrical conductivity and soil pH was not affected by GBCS and it’s found non-significant. The enrichment of soil organic carbon (SOC), available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, total bacterial count, fungi, azoctobactor, actinomycetes and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria was mostly confined to upper surface soil layer (0-15 cm). The SOC content found non-significant but SOC stock in PN hybrid in paired rows + ricebean – Egyptian clover was recorded 15-20% higher than sole cropping system at 0-15 cm soil depth. Available nitrogen increased by 15 %, Phosphorus 09% and potash 10% in 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm soil depth, respectively in PN hybrid in paired rows + ricebean – Egyptian clover over pearlmillet napier hybrid sole. Similarly soil micro flora like that total bacterial count, fungi, Azoctobactor, Actinomycetes and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria.
Key words: Grass based cropping systems, soil health and soil quality parameters