Himachal Journal of Agricultural Research

Rajinder Kumar ¹, Dinesh Badiyala ¹, Neelam Sharma ¹, S. S. Rana ¹, Pawan Pathania ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Agronomy, Forages and Grassland Management, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur - 176 062, IN

Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken in an ongoing experiment on maize-pea cropping system to study the effect of weed control methods on population of soil beneficial bacteria such as Azotobacter, Phosphate solublising microorganisms, basal soil respiration and microbial biomass carbon after the harvest of maize crop over a period of three years from 2010 to 2012. In maize, there were five weed control treatments viz. weedy check; mechanical weedings; atrazine 0.75 kg/ha pre-emergence; atrazine 1.5 kg/ha pre-emergence; atrazine 0.75 kg/ha fb. 2,4-D 0.5 kg/ha) and in pea there were four treatments viz, weedy check; mechanical weeding; pendimethalin 1.0/1.25 kg/ha pre- emergence; pedimethalin 0.75 kg/ha fb mechanical weeding. Weed control treatments in maize resulted in significant variation in the count of Azotobacter and phosphate solublizing microorganisms. Population of Azotobacter was significantly higher under pre-emergence application of atrazine 1.50 kg/ha (14.93x10⁴ cfu/g dry soil), mechanical weeding (14.46x10⁴ cfu/g dry soil), and atrazine 1.0 kg/ha fb. 2,4-D 0.5 kg/ha (13.70x10⁴ cfu/g dry soil) over atrazine 1.0 kg/ha fb hand weeding. Atrazine 1.50 kg/ha and atrazine 1.0 kg/ha fb. 2,4-D resulted in significantly higher count of phosphate solublizing microorganisms over mechanical weeding. Weed control in maize also did not show any significant influence in soil pH, soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and basal soil respiration. Weed control treatment in pea gave significant variation in count of Azotobacter, phosphate solublising microorganisms, basal soil respiration and microbial biomass carbon. Population of Azotobacter was highest under mechanical weeding. Pendimethalin 1.20 kg/ha and pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha fb mechanical weeding had lower population than mechanical weeding. The population of phosphate solublizing microorganisms was significantly higher under pendimethalin 1.20 kg/ha and pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha fb mechanical weeding over mechanical weeding alone. Weed control treatments applied in pea did not significantly influence the count of Azospirillum, pH, and organic carbon after the harvest of maize. Pendimethalin 1.20 kg/ha and pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha fb mechanical weeding had higher microbial biomass carbon over mechanical weeding alone. Pendimethalin had significant decrease in soil respiration after the harvest of maize which is an important indicator of soil biological health.

Keywords

Azotobacter, Maize-Pea Cropping System, Microbiological Properties, Weed Control Methods.

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S. K. Sharma ¹, S. C. Negi ¹, Pawan Pathania ¹, Rajju Priya Soni ¹, Mittu Katoch ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Agronomy, Forages and Grassland Management, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur - 176 062, IN

Abstract

The characterization survey of 306 farm families were conducted in Amb and Bangana blocks of Una district using multistage random sampling method. Crops + Livestock farming system adopted by 74.5% of the total households was found as the major Farming System prevalent in the area. Percent income contribution to the total farm income varied from 58.7% to 85.8% among large and marginal farms respectively. Among different enterprises, contribution of income from crop production to the total farm income in the sample farms varied from 49.7% to 73.9% among large and marginal sample farms. Overall contribution of crop production enterprise averaged over all the categories in the sample households was 62.50%. Study revealed that majority of the farmers in Amb and Bangana blocks face non-availability of quality seed as a major constraint for crop production. Lack of proper feed for animals and lack of access to veterinary service centre were surveyed to major constraint in respect of livestock component. Menace of wild and stray animals was recorded to the major socio-economic constraint limiting the crop production in the district.

Keywords

Farming System, Income, Constraints, Characterization.

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Akashdeep Singh ¹, Pawan Pathania ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Agronomy, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur-176 062, IN

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during 2018-19 in the mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh at Bhadiarkar experimental farm of Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, CSK HPKV, Palampur (H.P.). The experiment comprised of ten treatments (maize-wheat; maize-wheat + gobhi sarson; dhaincha-early cabbage-frenchbean; sunhemp-vegetable pea-frenchbean; maize + soybean-chickpea + linseed; rice-wheat + gram; hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-oats + sarson (hybrid); hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-ryegrass + berseem; babycorn-broccoli-frenchbean and okra-turnip-tomato) which was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. All the crop sequences have higher food availability in comparison to the rice-wheat + gram and maize-wheat (16.44 and 17.92 kg ha^-1 day^-1). The diversification of the traditional crop sequences not only lead to better utilization of the land resources but also provided higher food availability.

Keywords

Crop Sequences, Diversification, Food Availability, Land Use Efficiency, Maize.

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