Organic Farming for a Sustainable Future: Soil and Yield Improvement through Integrated Nitrogen Management

Sanjeev Kumar^1*Santosh Onte^2,3Yogananda Shivalli Boregowda⁴Airadevi Padmaraj Angadi²PRASANNA S PYATI⁵Naveena K³Kamal Garg¹Vijendra Kumar Meena¹Ramesh Chandra¹Babu Lal Meena⁶Marthala Bhuvaneswar Reddy⁷S.A. KOCHEWAD⁸Sudhir Kumar⁹Hari Om¹⁰Vetrivel Karunakaran¹¹C Sunil¹²Elisa Azura Azman¹³Sabyasachi Mukherjee¹Mohammad Hashim¹⁴Ramkishan Meena¹⁵

• ¹National Dairy Research Institute (ICAR), Karnal, India
• ²ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, University Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, India
• ³Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, Kerala, India
• ⁴Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, VC Farm, Mandya, Karnataka, India
• ⁵Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam, India
• ⁶Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (ICAR), Karnāl, Himachal Pradesh, India
• ⁷Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
• ⁸National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management (ICAR), Baramati, Maharashtra, India
• ⁹Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR), New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi, India
• ¹⁰Department agronomy, Bihar agricultural unversity, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India
• ¹¹ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Needamangalam, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu- 614404, India
• ¹²Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga, Karnataka, India
• ¹³Faculty of agriculture, Department of crop science, universiti putra malaysia, Serdeng, Malaysia
• ¹⁴Indian Institute of Pulses Research (ICAR), Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
• ¹⁵Department of agronomy, College of agriculture-Ummedganj, Kota, Rajasthan, India

Efficient nitrogen management is crucial for sustaining soil health, optimizing yields, and ensuring the long-term viability of organic farming systems. A cereal-legume cropping system is widely recognized for improving nutrient cycling and ecosystem services. This study investigates the impact of these treatments on soil quality, energy fractions, and yield of fodder maize-berseem-cowpea under organic farming with a focus on enhancing ecosystem services and supporting agroecological principles. A three-year field experiment (2018-19 to 2020-21) was conducted with maize (M)-berseem (B) -cowpea (C) cropping system laid in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and seven treatments.Drawing upon the theoretical framework of sustainable agriculture and integrated nutrient management, treatment T7, (Farmyard manure (FYM) + Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (M) -PGPR + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (B) -PGPR + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (C), resulted in significant improvements in soil organic carbon (4.0-15.2%), soil organic matter content (3.8-14.7%), available nutrients (10.7-36.6%), microbial population (54.8-119.3%), and soil enzymatic activities (103.0-187.2%).Additionally, energy fractions and TDCP content showed positive trends. Yield penalties in maize declined from 11.9% to 8.09% over three years; berseem showed a 2.5% initial reduction but improved in subsequent years, while cowpea consistently exhibited slight yield gains.Compared to treatment T1 (100% chemical fertilizers), treatment T7 enhanced soil health and nutrient cycling with only a slight reduction in system productivity (4.3% to 7.0%), demonstrating the long-term benefits of organic inputs. This study highlights the importance of integrated nitrogen management in organic systems, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers while enhancing ecological sustainability. It offers a practical approach to improving soil resilience, boosting energy efficiency, and supporting sustainable development goalsproviding valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners pursuing environmentally responsible agricultural practices.