Under the Guidance : Mr. P.S. Takawale HoD of Agriculture Dept. CRS,UruliKanchan,PuneCo – Guide : Mr. S.H. Kadao, ATPE,CRS, UraliKanchan,Pune.

By : Pravin Bhaskar Yadav, Spark Fellow, 2011-12, CRS, Uralikanchan, Pune.

Agriculture is an important occupation for India, near about 52% population depends on agriculture.Agriculture is the most important sector for ensuring food security, alleviating poverty and conserving the vital natural resources that the world’s present and future generation will be entirely dependent upon for their survival.Extensive use of Fertilizer , mechanization of agriculture and intensive farming practices have made the soil infertile and have resulted in saline soil.So measures should be taken to maintain soil fertility and check soil salinity.

Background

Outline2) To assess soil fertility status

under intensive cropping system

1) To study the effect of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on soil salinity.

Introduction About saline and alkaline

soil Classification Reclamation by microbial culture Design of expt. Expected Outcome

Introduction Soil fertility and

sustainable crop production Nutrient requirement of

plants Integrated nutrient

management Design of expt. Expected outcomeMinor project

Coping mechanism of farmers for salt affected soils Objectives Methodology

In India nearly 9.38 million ha area is occupied by Salt-affected soil out of which 5.5 million ha are saline soils and 3.88 million ha alkali soils (IAB 2000).

This constitutes a huge problem because of high pH and high Na+ salts that causes clay swelling and dispersion , leading to reduction in crop yield.

Traditionally methods of irrigation and use of commercial amendment were used to reduce soil salinity which are no longer cost effective.

Potential remediation methods involve the stimulation of microbial population in sodic soils to produce acid , there by decreasing pH and releasing calcium into the soil.

However little is known about microbial population in saline soil

Introduction

Objectives :

- To study the effect of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on physical, chemical and biological parameters of the soil.

- To monitor the effects of different treatments on growth and yield of wheat.

1] To study the effect of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on soil salinity.

Contains salts like Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Cl-. Makes the soil infertile. This type of soil appears sandy to loamy in texture.

Areas Arid and semi – arid regions having annual rainfall up to

50-80 cm. Parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana , U.P., Maharashtra.

Saline and alkaline soil :

Parameters Saline soil Sodic soil Alkaline soil

ph < 8.5 > 8.5 < 8.5

EC(mmho/ cm) 25 c

> 4 < 4 >4

ESP < 15 >15 >15

Other information

Salt layer can be seen , level of water table is very high.

Salts are not seen on surface.

Salts can be seen, level of water table is

high.

Classification :

Mechanical method - Leaching of soluble salts - Ditching / trenching - Drainage

Chemical method - Application of gypsum , sulphur and iron pyrites (commercial

amendments) - Use of molasses

Soil and crop management - Salt free irrigation - Application of organic manure i.e. FYM, compost , green manure; - Selection of salt tolerant crop i.e. rice , sugarcane , oats, wheat.

Biological method - Grow algae with FYM that changes soil structure and aeration - Inoculating culture of thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

Reclamation of Saline soil

Characteristics Mechanism

Autotrophic, acidophilic, mesophile occurring in single or pairs or chains. Highly motile strains

Found in pyrite deposits, soil corroding concrete sewer pipes,

These bacteria are used in a mining technique called bioleaching whereby metals are extracted from their ores through oxidation.

Metabolizing iron and sulfur and producing sulfuric acid.Consumes sulfur and produces sulfuric acid

Thiobacillus is the most important genus of chemolithotrophs that metabolize sulfur

These Thiobacilli are adapted to wide variations of temperature and pH and can be readily isolated and enriched.

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

Observations

T1 P1 P1 P2 P3

T2 P2 P2 P2 P2

T3 P3 P3 P3 P3

T4 P4 P4 P4 P4

T5 P5 P5 P5 P5

T6 P6 P6 P6 P6

Layout:

•No. of replicates – 3• Pots experiment

Design of Experiment

Treatments

T1 – Absolute control T2 – Microbial culture + FYM T3 – RDF + FYM T4 – RDF + Microbial culture + FYM T5 – 50% RDF + Microbial culture +50 % FYM T6 – Commercial soil amendment (gypusm, sulphur)

ReplicatesTreatment

• Crop for experiment - Wheat

During the era of Green revolution of high-yield verities, extension of

irrigated areas, use of NPK fertilizers and increased in cropping intensity, propelled India towards self-sufficiency in food production;

In the process, relative contribution of organic manures as a source of plant nutrients vis-à-vis chemical fertilizer declined substantially ;

With increase in cost of production inputs, inorganic fertilizers became increasingly more expensive;

Another issue of great concern was the sustainability of soil productivity as land began to be intensively tilled to produce higher yield under multiple and intensive cropping system.

So to overcome this problem, recently the new method i.e. integrated nutrient management is taken into consideration to regain the crop productivity and soil fertility.

Introduction

 

 

Objectives : To Study the effect of different management

practices on physical , chemical and biological properties of soil;

To study the effect of different management practices on growth and yield of various crops;

To monitor the soil fertility status in ‘long run crops’ under different management practices;

To introduce soil health card to the farmers.

II] To asses the soil fertility status under intensive cropping system

Soil fertility is an inherent capacity of the soil to supply nutrients to plant in adequate and suitable proportions;

Soil productivity is the capacity of soil to produce crops with specific system of management and is expressed in terms of yield;

All productive soils are fertile ,but all fertile soil need not to be productive due to some problems like water logging, alkali, saline, extensive use of inorganic fertilizers;

According to modern usage ,soil fertility is the capacity of soil to produce crop of economic value and to maintain fertility of soil without deterioration.

Soil fertility and sustainable crop production

Integrated nutrient management

Productive soil

The concept of integrated nutrient supply involves organic and chemical fertilizers combine to improve the soil fertility.

Governed by a number of physical, chemical and biological factors and processes.

Quantitative and qualitative measures of these factors and the resulting outcomes indicate soil fertility which translates into productivity, nutrient and water use efficiencies and quality of produce.

Measure of Soil Fertility

Treatment

observation

T1 P1 P5 P3 P1

T2 P2 P4 P2 P7

T3 P3 P3 P1 P6

T4 P4 P2 P7 P5

T5 P5 P1 P6 P4

T6 P6 P7 P5 P3

T7 P7 P6 P4 P2

T 1 – Absolute control T 2 – RDF(NPK) + FYM T 3 – Green manure + RDF(NPK) T 4 – Vermi- compost +

RDF(NPK) T 5 – Bio-fertilizer +RDF(NPK)+

FYM T 6 – Green manure + vermi +

50% RDF(RDF) T 7 - Green manure + 50 %

RDF(NPK)

Note –  Application of FYM and green manure will be once in the year.

Crop – Rabi- lady fingerSummer– french peaKharif – Hybrid maize for grain 

Design of Experiment :

No. of replications – 3 Size of plot – 4 x 3 m

• The culture of thiobacillus ferrooxidans should grow in saline soil and should with stand with different Nacl treatments.

• The culture should reclaim the soil fertility by producing acid and reducing pH of the saline soil.

• Soil sample will be tested for physical, chemical and biological parameter.

• The effect on the yield and productivity of wheat will be monitored

Observations:

Expected outcome

Minor Project Coping mechanism of farmers for salt affected soilsObjectives:To study the different coping mechanism of

farmers for salt affected regions.To document the coping mechanism of the

farmers. Methodology• To visit the salt affected farms.• To collect the data