JOURNAL of Soil Biology and Ecology 

Influence of different fertilizer and farmyard manure combinations on the soil mesofauna status and yield of the baby corn crop.

Author: C.R. ABHILASHA

Abstract:

Soil mesofauna are essential components of agroecosystems, contributing vital to various soil functions and processes. Without these organisms, the soil would be a sterile medium that could not sustain crop production. A field experiment on the effect of enhanced doses of farm yard manure and reduced doses of inorganic fertilizers, and 0 percent of recommended fertilizer on the re-establishment of soil mesofauna in Baby Corn showed higher soil mesofauna abundance was recorded in 20 t of FYM ha-1 (64.66 mesofauna/400 soil) applied treatment as compared to other treatments during the cropping season. The same treatment also recorded a higher soil mesofauna population during the non-cropping season. This treatment documented two and three times higher fauna than the recommended package of practices for baby corn cultivation and inorganic treatment, respectively. Soil mesofauna population increased gradually during the rainy season and was significantly high at 105 days after germination (70.40 /400 g soil). Soil application of 20 t of FYM ha-1 treatment recorded a 60.07% higher cob yield (33.28 q ha-1) than fertilizer treatment alone (20.79 q ha-1).

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