JOURNAL of Soil Biology and Ecology

The impact of maize crop residue and fertilizer application rates on soil mesofauna in both monoculture and crop rotation systems

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

Abstract :

A field experiment was conducted at GKVK, UAS, Bengaluru, during the Kharif season as part of a long-term study. The experiment focused on the effects of applying maize crop residue and inorganic fertilizers, examining both mono-cropping with finger millet and crop rotation involving groundnut and finger millet. The abundance of soil mesofauna was notably high in the plot where only maize crop residue was incorporated and finger millet was cultivated, recording an abundance of 47.50 per 400 grams of soil. This level was closely matched in the treatment with maize crop residue incorporated within the crop rotation of groundnut and finger millet. Both treatments demonstrated similar abundances compared to plots where maize crop residue was added with various doses of NPK fertilizers, as well as control plots featuring either finger millet monoculture or crop rotation with groundnut. The lowest abundance was observed in the treatment that applied the recommended dose of fertilizers in the crop rotation, recording only 16.50 per 400 grams of soil

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