JOURNAL of Soil Biology and Ecology

Effect of different doses of FYM, fertilizers, and introduced native soil mesofauna on the abundance of soil mesofauna in a long-term soybean cropping system.

Author:

N.G. KUMAR, P. NIRMALA AND T.G. AVINASH 

Abstract:

This field experiment summarizes fifteen years of research at GKVK, UAS, Bengaluru, during the Kharif season. The study assessed how different rates of farm yard manure (FYM) and fertilizers affect the abundance of introduced native soil mesofauna in a soybean cropping system. Applying 20 tonnes of FYM per hectare with native mesofauna produced the highest mean soil mesofauna count (25.89 per 400 g soil). The next highest count was 20.67 per 400 g with 17.5 tonnes of FYM per hectare plus 25 percent of the recommended fertilizer dose. A treatment with recommended fertilizers (25:60:25 NPK kg/ha), 10 tonnes FYM/ha, Phorate 10G (1 kg a.i./ha), herbicide (Lasso 50 EC at 2.5 l/ha), and fungicide seed treatment (Thiram + Bavistin, 2 g/kg seeds each) with native mesofauna yielded 16.07 per 400 g. This was higher than recommended fertilizer alone (11.94 per 400 g), but similar to 10 (15.74 per 400 g) or 5 (15.50 per 400 g) tonnes of FYM alone. Using only recommended fertilizers with native mesofauna resulted in the lowest soil mesofauna abundance.

Keywords: FYM, Fertilizers , Introduced native soil mesofauna, Soil mesofauna

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