At the Research Farm of the Cotton Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra, a field experiment was undertaken during 2024-25 to study the impact of different crop residue mulching on soil fertility under rainfed cotton. A randomized block design (RBD) with four replications was adopted, wherein the treatments included the application of different crop residue mulches in combination with the general recommended dose of fertilizers (GRDF). Treatments comprised: T
1 (GRDF), T
2 (GRDF + Mulching with wheat straw @ 50% of potential yield), T
3 (GRDF + Mulching with cotton straw @ 50% of potential yield), T
4 (GRDF + Mulching with soybean straw @ 75% of potential yield) and T
5 (GRDF + Mulching with weed biomass).
Numerically the lowest pH (8.06) was observed in T4 (GRDF + Mulching with soybean straw @ 75% of potential yield) and T5 (GRDF + Mulching with weed biomass). Numerically lowest EC value (0.26 dSm⁻¹) was observed in T5 (GRDF + Mulching with weed biomass). Significantly maximum OC (4.72 g kg⁻¹) was recorded in treatment T4 (GRDF + Mulching with soybean straw @ 75% of potential yield), which was statistically at par with the treatment T2 (GRDF + Mulching with wheat straw @ 50% of potential yield) and T5 (GRDF + Mulching with weed biomass) both with a value of (4.68 g kg⁻¹).
Significantly highest available nitrogen was found in T4 (GRDF + Mulching with soybean straw @ 75% of potential yield) (181.40 kg ha⁻¹), which was statistically at par with T5 (GRDF + Mulching with weed biomass, 179.56 kg ha⁻¹) and T2 (GRDF + Mulching with wheat straw @ 50% of potential yield, 178.03 kg ha⁻¹). The highest available phosphorus (17.04 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded in T4 (GRDF + Mulching with soybean straw @ 75% of potential yield), which was statistically at par with T5 (GRDF + Mulching with weed biomass) (16.92 kg ha⁻¹), T2 (GRDF + Mulching with wheat straw @ 50% of potential yield) (16.70 kg ha⁻¹) and T3 (GRDF + Mulching with cotton stalk @ 50% of potential yield) (16.28 kg ha⁻¹). Highest potassium content was recorded in T4 (GRDF + Mulching with soybean straw @ 75% of potential yield) (367.31 kg ha⁻¹), which was statistically at par with T5 (GRDF + Mulching with weed biomass, 365.40 kg ha⁻¹). Numerically highest sulphur availability was observed in T4 (GRDF + Mulching with soybean straw @ 75% of potential yield) (11.33 mg kg⁻¹).
