Maintenance of Soil Health

Assoc. Professor

Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, : 91-33-25822132, 91-9477465968

E-mail: pabitramani@gmail.com, Website: www.bckv.edu.in

Dr. P. K. Mani

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Soil – Earth’s living skin under threat from humanity

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Soil compaction and structure break

down5

Mold-board Plow6

Soil erosion

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Heavy metal and organic pollutants

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Basic cations - Ca 2+ , Mg 2+

Soil acidity

Ground water

Soil surface

Al 3+

Heavy rains

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Soil sickness

Soil fatigue

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Loss of soil biodiversity

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Feed the plant need!

Inorganic fertilizer

N-P-K

Climate

Crop need for nutrients

Manure

Indigenous nutrient supply

Irrigation water Crop residues Soil

How do I decide about fertilizerHow do I decide about fertilizer

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Source Nitrogen (N %)

Phosphorus(P205 %)

Potash(K20 %)

Bulky organic manuresFarmyard manure 0.50 0.3 0.50Compost (urban) 1.0 0.5 1.5Compost (rural) 0.50 0.15 0.50Cattle dung 2.41 0.75 0.88Buffalo dung 1.09 0.82 0.70Swine dung 2.11 2.41 0.97Chicken - broilers dung 3.17 3.29 2.41- pullets dung 3.61 3.33 2.38- layers 2.85 4.21 2.00Night soil 5.50 4.00 2.00Sewage and sludge 1.5-3.5 0.75-4.0 0.3-0.6Vermicompost 1.6 0.7 0.8Phosphocompost 1.2-1.4 2.00-3.50 -

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Concentrated organic manures

Nitrogen (N %)

Phosphorus(P205 %)

Potash(K20 %)

Non-edible oil cakesCastor cake 4.40 1.80 1.40Neem cake 5.00 1.10 1.50Mahua cake 2.50 1.0 1.50Karanj cake 4.0 1.0 1.0

Edible cakesMustard cake 5.20 1.80 1.20Sesame cake 6.20 2.10 1.30Groundnut cake 7.30 1.50 1.30Linseed cake 5.50 1.10 1.30

Meals from animal wastesBone meal 3.0 20.0 -Fish meal 7.0 6.0 1.0 20

Crops show profitable response to application of FYM

Vegetable crops

Potato,Tomato, Sweet potato, Watermelons, Radish, Carrot, Cauliflower, Turnip, Onion, Garlic etc,

Cereals : Rice

Sugarcane, Jute

Fruits: orange, banana, grape, apple, guava, mango etc

Crops less responsive to application of FYM

Cereals: Jowar, Bajra, Wheat, Barley, oats

Oilseeds: Groundnut, Linseed, Sesamum, Castor, Coconut

Cash crops: Cotton 21

A road map for

OUTREACH activity

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Worms are part of the animal kingdom

These are called Eisenia foetida but you may know them as Red Worm

Tiger Worm

Red Wiggler

Method of Vermicompost Making

Organic wastes are mixed with cow dung, live soil and farmyard manure at the ratio of 6: 3: 0.5: 0.5 on dry weight basis.

A compost heap is constructed by using above mentioned materials and allowed to decompose at least 15 days.

For commercial purpose or large scale productions, composting is done in a trench. Generally, a trench is prepared under a shade

1.5ft

3-3.5ft

Length(10ft)

shade

stone chips layer of sand

unchopped straw Partial decomposed waste pdt.

Earthworm @ 10/kg wasteEarthworm @ 10/kg wasteAdd Sufficient water so that moisture becomes 50-60%

Spread moist gunny bagSpread moist gunny bag

Keep it for 60-70 days without disturbance

Stop watering 2-3 days before harvest

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pH (1: 5) water suspension 7.50

CEC (cmole (p+) kg-1 110.3

Organic Carbon (g kg-1) 115.8

Nutrient Vermicompost Farmyard ManureMajor nutrient (%)

Nitrogen 1-1.6 0.5-0.75Phosphorus 1.2-1.45 0.25-0.27Potassium 0.8-1.1 0.3-0.5Calcium 0.5 0.9Magnesium 0.2 0.2Micronutrient (ppm)

Iron 175.0 146.5Manganese 96.5 69.0Zinc 24.5 14.5Copper 5.0 2.8C: N ratio 25.5 31.3

Nutrient profile of Vermicompost and farmyard manure 

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Microbes present in the Vermicompost PitMicrobes present in the Vermicompost PitMicrobes No./ g wet compostBacteria 108-109

Actinomycetes 105-108

Fingi, Yeast 104-106

Protozoa 104-105

Dose of Vermicompost :

For Field crops: 2-5 t/ha

For flowers: Vermicompost is applied at 750–1000 kg ha-1.

For vegetables: 7.5 t/ha

Fruit Tree: 200-500g/ plant depending on tree and age of tree

Vermicompost can be used for all crops: agricultural, horticultural, ornamental and vegetables at any stage of the crop

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Shortcut to MVI_0752.lnk

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Shortcut to MVI_0766.lnk

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Shortcut to MVI_0769.lnk

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Precautions during the process

• Most Indian species are not suitable for the purpose.

• Only plant-based materials such as grass, leaves or vegetable peelings should be utilized in preparing vermicompost.

• Materials of animal origin such as eggshells, meat, bone, chicken droppings, etc are not suitable for preparing vermicompost.

• The earthworms should be protected against birds, termites, ants and rats. (100g Chilli dust + 100g turmeric powder + 100g salt 100g Chilli dust + 100g turmeric powder + 100g salt + surf in 20L water, for red ant control)+ surf in 20L water, for red ant control) (Rat control, mix 50g dry fish +2g Zinc phosphide, kept in (Rat control, mix 50g dry fish +2g Zinc phosphide, kept in 5-6 place of the shade)5-6 place of the shade)

PHOSPHOCOMPOSTIngredients:

Oragnic wastes : 80 kg (60 kg dry+20 kg green)Raw Cow dung : 10 kgCompost : 5 kgSoil : 5 kgTotal : 100 kg

Rockphosphate : 20 kg Pyrite : 10 kg Urea : 2.2 kg Cultures : 0.05 kgDry organic wastes: Straw, husk, waste from cattle shed, stems of mustard , sesame, etc.Green : Waterhyacinth, legumes, weeds, vegetable clippngs, leaves, grasses

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Divide entire Organic and inorganic component in 10 equal parts

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I part cowdung + compost + Soil make slurry in waterI part cowdung + compost + Soil make slurry in water

Dry organic wastesDry organic wastes

Urea + microbial Cultures make it a slurry

I part Phosphate Rock and I part PyriteI part Phosphate Rock and I part PyritePreparation of 1st Layer

1st Layer

2nd Layer

3rd Layer

4th Layer

Layer of mud with soil + cowdungCovered with Polythene sheet

Keep it for 3 months , yielding 65-70 kg PhosphoCompost39

Method of Phosphocompost Making•Select a suitable upland place, sufficient sunlight, free from water stagnation•Step-1:Take one bucket and add Raw Cow dung- 1kg, Compost- 0.5 kg, Soil -0. 5 kg and small water, stir the material and make a

slurry.•Step-2: Take 2nd bucket and add urea-200g, cultures-5g and add water small, make another slurry

•Step-3:Spread dry wastes followed by green wastes and make it 12″ height•Step-4:Now add slurry from 1st bucket (cow dung etc slurry), next add slurry

from 2nd bucket and spread evenly.•Step-5: Now spread 2 kg Rock phosphate and1 kg Pyrite•Repeat the process Step-1 to step 5 and repeat until 10 layers is formed.• covered the top and side portion of the heap with Layer of mud (soil+ cowdung) and subsequently cover with poly thene sheet to prevent water

•1st turnings after 4 weeks and 2nd turnings after 8 weeks• Water is added to the heap so that moisture remains between 60 to 70%.•Add water at each turning to maintain the moisture content between 60 and 70%.•The compost becomes ready for field application within 90-100 days period.

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Preparation of liquid manure1.5 kg fresh cow dung + 1.5 kg fresh green

leaves

40 litre of water

(after around 20 days)

Diluted and the final volume is 200 litreThe average nutrient content of the liquid manure: N – 1%, P2O5 – 2% , K2O – 2%.

Crops suitable for green manuringLegumes: Dhaincha ( Sesbania aculeata), Sunhemp (Crotalaria juncea), Cowpea (Vigna sinensis), Pea (Pisum sativum), Berseem

(Trifolium alexandrinum), Lucerne (Medicago sativa)Sunflower (Helianthus annus), Jowar (Sorghum vulgare), Maize (Zea mays)

Sunhemp Cowpea 46

Dhaincha

Crops suitable for green leaf manuring

Legumes:

Glyricida ( Glyricidia maculata),

Wild dhaincha (Sesbania speciosa),

Karanja (Pongamia pinnata),

Wild indigo (Tephrosia purpurea,

Pongamia

Leucaena leucenalis 47

Glyricidia

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Biofertilizers(BF)Applications Methods : Seed Treatment (200 g(BF) in 400 ml water, make

slurry, mix with seed, dry in shade and sown to the field)

Seedling Root Dipping (200 g(BF) in 1-1.5 L water, dipping root seedling for 30 min to 1 hr.)

Veg. Propagule treatment (200 g(BF) in 4-5 L water , spray it) (Potato, sugarcane,ginger-100 no. propagule)

Soil Treatment (2 kg Bf are mixed in 100 kg Compost, keep it overnight mixture is incorporated in the soil at the time of sowing or planting)

Wheat, Maize, Cotton, Mustard etc. Azotobacter + PSM at 200 g each per 10 kg of seed as seed treatment For transplanted rice, the recommendation is to dip the roots

of seedlings for 8 to 10 hours(whole night) in a

soln of Azospirillum + PSM at 1kg each in 40L water

Jute: Azospirillum+PSM 200g each as seed treat.

Vegetables like Tomato, Brinjal, Chilli, Cabbage, Cauliflower etc., Mustard, Sunflower, Cotton use Azotobacter/ Azospirillum + Phosphobacterin 1 kg each as seedling root dip.

For Potato, Ginger, Colocasia, Turmeric, For Potato, Ginger, Colocasia, Turmeric, Paddy -use Paddy -use AzospiillumAzospiillum/ / Azotobacter Azotobacter +PSM @ 4 kg +PSM @ 4 kg each/acre mixed with each/acre mixed with compost and applied as soil treatment.compost and applied as soil treatment.

Sugarcane use Acetobacter + Phosphobacterin 4 kg each/ acre as seed sett dipping.

Plantation crops use Azotobacter+phosphobacterin 4 kg each/ acre with compost & applied in soil in two splits per year.

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Shortcut to Kamkharache Azolla Chaass 04.lnk

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National Soil Health Day62