AUTHOR=Bana Ram Swaroop , Choudhary Anil K. , Nirmal Ravi C. , Kuri Bhola Ram , Sangwan Seema , Godara Samarth , Bansal Ruchi , Singh Deepak , Rana D.S. 

TITLE=High-value crops’ embedded groundnut-based production systems vis-à-vis system-mode integrated nutrient management: long-term impacts on system productivity, system profitability, and soil bio-fertility indicators in semi-arid climate

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1298946

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1298946

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Current study identified two new climate-resilient groundnut-based cropping systems (GBCSs) viz., groundnut-fenugreek (GFCS), and groundnut-marigold cropping systems (GMCS) with appropriate system-mode bio-compost imbedded nutrient management schedules (SBINMSs) for semi-arid south-Asia. This 5-years' field study revealed that GMCS alongwith leaf-compost (LC) + 50% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF 50 ) in wet-season (groundnut) and 100% RDF (RDF 100 ) in winter-season crop (marigold) exhibited highest system-productivity (5.13-5.99 t/ha), system-profits (US$ 1767-2688/ha), and soil fertility (available-NPK). Among SBINMSs, application of 5 t/ha leaf & cow-dung mixture compost (LCMC) with RDF 50 showed highest increase (0.41%) in soil organic carbon (SOC) followed by LC 5 t/ha with RDF 50 , and RDF 100 , respectively. Legume-legume rotation (GFCS) had significantly higher soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) over legume-non-legume rotations (GWCS, GMCS). Among SBINMSs, highest SMBC (201 µg/g dry-soil) and SMBN (27.9 µg/g dry-soil) were obtained when LCMC+RDF 50 was applied to groundnut. SMBC: SMBN ratio was highest in GWCS. LC+RDF 50 exhibited highest SMBC: SOC ratio (51.6). Largest increase in soil enzymatic activities was observed under LCMC+RDF 50 . Overall, GMCS with LC+RDF 50 in wet-season and RDF 100 in winter-season, proved highly productive and remunerative with better soil bio-fertility. Likewise, SBINMSs saved chemical fertilizers by ~25%, besides enhanced systemproductivity, and system-profits across GBCSs in semi-arid regions of south-Asia. Futuristic reseach needs to focus on studying the potential of diversified production-systems on water and environmental footprints, carbon dynamics and energy productivity under semi-arid ecologies.