Influence of Residue Type and Method of Placement on Dynamics of Decomposition and Nitrogen Release in Maize-Wheat-Mungbean Cropping on Permanent Raised Beds: A Litterbag Study

Decomposition influences carbon and nutrient cycling from crop residues. The nylon-mesh-bag technique was implied to study the decomposition and N-release dynamics from different crop residues under field conditions. The four types of residues were: maize (lower than 50% below the cob), wheat (lower...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2022-01, Vol.14 (2), p.864
Main Authors: Sandhu, Opinder Singh, Jat, Mangi L., Gupta, Rajeev Kumar, Thind, Harmeet Singh, Sidhu, Harminder Singh, Singh, Yadvinder
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural conservation
Beans
Carbon
Carbon/nitrogen ratio
Cereal crops
Conservation
Corn
Crop residues
Crops
Decay
Decomposition
Goodness of fit
Hypotheses
Nitrogen
Nutrient cycles
Nutrients
Residues
Rice
Seasons
Soil conservation
Soil moisture
Sustainability
Vegetables
Vigna radiata
Wheat
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Summary:Decomposition influences carbon and nutrient cycling from crop residues. The nylon-mesh-bag technique was implied to study the decomposition and N-release dynamics from different crop residues under field conditions. The four types of residues were: maize (lower than 50% below the cob), wheat (lower than 25% of wheat stubbles), a whole mung bean residue, and a mixture of wheat + mung bean residue (1:1 ratio) put on the soil surface and in below the sub-surface. Decomposition and N release from both at-surface- and below-surface-placed residues were accurately described by a single-pool first-order exponential decay function as a function of thermal time (based on the accumulative daily mean temperature). The simple first-order exponential model met the criteria of goodness of fit. Throughout the decomposition cycle (one thermal year), the rate of decomposition as measured by a decrease in residue mass and the release of total N were statistically higher from the sub-surface compared to the surface-placed residue, irrespective of the residue type. At the end of the 150-day decomposition cycle, the release of total N was highest in mung bean (32.0 kg N ha−1), followed by maize (31.5 kg N ha−1) > wheat + mung bean (16.1 kg N ha−1), and the minimum (6.54 kg N ha−1) in wheat residue. Crop residues with a wider C/N ratio such as maize and wheat, when applied on the soil surface in conservation agriculture, caused the decomposition to occur at slower rates, thereby providing long-term beneficial effects on the soil thermal regime, soil moisture conservation, and C sequestration in North-West India.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su14020864