Integrated Nutrient and Tillage Management Improve Organic Matter, Micronutrient Content and Physical Properties of Alkaline Calcareous Soil Cultivated with Wheat.

This study assessed the effect of shallow tillage (ST, cultivator 0-20cm) and deep tillage (DT, moldboard plough 0-40cm) and different organic and inorganic fertilizers application to wheat crop on organic matter, micro-nutrient status and physical properties of soil at the NDF Farm, the University of Agriculture, Peshawar during 2015-16. The study was planned in RCB split plot design with fertilizers; control (Farmer's practices, FP, 60-45 N-P2O5 kg ha-1), NPK recommended dose (RD, 120:90:60 N:P2O5:K2O kg ha-1), 5, 10,15 and 20 t FYM alone (FYM5,10,15,20) and 5, 10 and 15 t ha-1 FYM in combination with 75, 50 and 25% of the recommended NPK (INM5:75, 10:50, 15:25) in sub plot (5 * 3 m2) and tillage practices (TP) in main plots. Tillage practices effect on micronutrient status was significant, however, variations in physical properties were negligible. The Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn contents were 23, 11, 38 and 33% higher in ST than DT soil, respectively. Significantly higher OM in ST than DT soil is supporting these results where in their respective regression showed r2 values of 0.4, 0.22, 0.22 and 0.24 in ST and 0.24, 0.12, 0.55 and 0.33 in DT soil. The INM5:75,10:50, 15:25 recorded significantly higher Zn (60-83%), Cu (49-55%) and Fe (55-72%) over the farmers practice and only second after sole FYM 20 t ha-1 whilst the maximum Mn (115-145%) were observed in these treatments. The FYM5,10,15,20 reduced the BD significantly (p<0.01) by 7-12% and increased the porosity by 9-14%, saturation water by 9-20% and available water by 19-29%. However the INM5:75,10:50, 15:25, closely followed the FYM5,10,15,20 with reduction in BD by 9-11% and increased in porosity by 11-13%, saturation water by 14-17% and available water by 25-30%. All interactions remained non-significant. These results concluded that integrated nutrient management improved the soil OM, micro-nutrients content and physical properties of soil. The deep tillage in poorly fertile soils negatively affect micro-nutrients status. Positive influence of DT on physical properties and micronutrients status as well, seems to have been superseded by high OM content in ST soil due to amendments incorporation with relatively small volume of soil than DT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]