Effect of microbial consortium and soil amendments on post-harvest nutrient availability in saline-sodic inceptisol under a soybean-wheat cropping sequence
Aniket Sunil Gaikwad, BD Bhakare, BM Kamble, RS Thakare, AG Durgude and AM Navale
Soil salinity poses significant challenges to sustainable crop production, particularly in Inceptisols. This study investigates the impact of microbial consortia and soil amendments on post-harvest nutrient availability and residual effects in saline-sodic Inceptisol under a soybean-wheat cropping sequence. A field experiment was conducted at the Post Graduate Instructional Research Farm, Department of Soil Science, MPKV, Rahuri, during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 soybean-wheat cropping sequence using a Randomized Block Design with ten treatments replicated thrice. The soybean crop was cultivated during the kharif season with different combinations of GRDF, gypsum (100% GR), sulphur (1/5th of GR), and microbial consortia from Lucknow and VSI. The subsequent rabi wheat crop received GRDF and benefited from the residual effects of soil amendments and microbial consortia applied during the preceding soybean crop. Among the treatments, the application of GRDF + Sulphur + Microbial consortia I (T8) significantly improved soil nutrient availability after soybean harvest, with pooled soil macronutrient values of 254.60 kg ha-1 nitrogen, 14.52 kg ha-1 phosphorus, 492.47 kg ha-1 potassium, and 13.78 mg kg-1 sulphur. Micronutrient availability also increased, with iron (5.16 mg kg-1), manganese (5.91 mg kg-1), zinc (0.51 mg kg-1), and copper (1.97 mg kg-1).
These improvements persisted after wheat harvest due to the residual effects of Sulphur and Microbial consortia I along with GRDF, further enhancing soil nitrogen (270.82 kg ha-1), phosphorus (16.17 kg ha-1), potassium (530.90 kg ha-1), and sulphur (16.44 mg kg-1), alongside increased iron (5.51 mg kg-1), manganese (6.35 mg kg-1), zinc (0.54 mg kg-1), and copper (2.06 mg kg-1) availability. The findings suggest that the integration of GRDF + Sulphur (as per 1/5th of GR) + Microbial consortia I of Lucknow (@ 250 mL ha-1) during soybean cultivation, followed by GRDF and the residual effects of these amendments in wheat, is a promising strategy for enhancing soil nutrient availability in saline-sodic soils.
Aniket Sunil Gaikwad, BD Bhakare, BM Kamble, RS Thakare, AG Durgude, AM Navale. Effect of microbial consortium and soil amendments on post-harvest nutrient availability in saline-sodic inceptisol under a soybean-wheat cropping sequence. Int J Res Agron 2025;8(2):324-332. DOI: 10.33545/2618060X.2025.v8.i2e.2588
