No abstract

An experiment has been conducted under laboratory conditions to investigate the residual effect of three pre-emergence herbicides (thiobencarb, pendimethalin and pretilachlor) at fivefold field application rates (7.5, 10.0 and 2.5 kg a.i. ha(-1), respectively), on the changes of microbial activities and some biochemical processes in the Gangetic alluvial soil of West Bengal. Application of herbicides in general significantly increased microbial biomass resulting in greater mineralization of C, N and P in soil. The highest stimulation of microbial biomass C was recorded with thiobencarb (24.4%) followed by pendimethalin (23.4%). Microbial biomass N was highly induced under pretilachlor (54.5%) and thiobencarb (52.7%), while the stimulation of microbial biomass P was at par in the herbicide-treated soils. Compared to untreated control, the highest amount of organic C was retained with thiobencarb followed by pendimethalin. A similar trend was recorded with thiobencarb for total N, while pendimethalin induced exchangeable NH4 (+) and soluble NO3 (-) to the highest extent (42.2 and 34.5%, respectively). Regarding the availability of P in soil, pretilachlor manifested greater stimulation (33.1%) than thiobencarb (21.6%) and pendimethalin (11.4%). As compared to untreated control, thiobencarb harboured maximum number of bacteria (107.9%), while pretilachlor exerted the highest stimulations towards the proliferations of actinomycetes (132.6%) and fungi (149.5%) in soil.

Long- term adoption of total agricultural approach which negatively influences the soil prolificacy, soil microbiome and may compromise the feature and amount of crop mass production. In agriculture, soil is a critical part, in which the original sources of nutrients for grow crops and the microorganisms is very important to improve soil texture or soil health for healthy growing crops. Soil microbiota are an energetic component of soil and showed varieties useful activities in the soil system. Soil richness is the characteristic limit of a soil to give the fundamental plant supplements in sufficient sums and legitimate extents for plant development. There is an enormous chance to upgrade soil ripeness through microorganisms, as organisms are “inherent” soil controllers and impetuses adding to reusing of supplements into accessible inorganic structures and give early admonition of land corruption. The core interest of this part is on the possibility of utilizing organisms as decomposers of (cellulose, protein and lignin), formers (humus, nitrate and nitrite), nitrogen fixers, ammonifiers, oxidizers (iron, hydrogen and sulfur), phosphorus solubilizers and denitrifiers. In this specific circumstance, the components viz., natural toxins and environmental change that limit the improvement of soil richness. Today’s, there is great trial for the agricultural system in which growing the human population is a great problem in the land breakdown and decrease the microbial population that’s why enhance the soil fertility and plant growth rate decreases. Therefore, in this review we describe the benefits of soil microbiota to maintain soil fertility.

Environmental and economic issues have increased the necessity to know better understand the role and fate of nitrogen (N) in crop production systems. Nitrogen is the nutrient most often deficient for crop production in India, and its use can result in substantial economic return for farmers. Losses of nitrogen from the soil and plant system not only reduce soil fertility and plant yield but can also create adverse impacts on the environment. Nitrogen fertilizer useful to crops is partially lost through different mechanisms, including ammonia volatilization, de-nitrification, and leaching. These losses may cause environmental problems like polluting the atmosphere, aquatic systems, and groundwater. However, losses can be reduced a considerable extent by various techniques. Research has been conducted in whole world to minimalize nitrogen fertilizer losses. This paper reviews this information on nitrogen fertilizer losses, indicating management practices for minimizing these losses from the soil-water system.

As an agricultural economy, Odisha captures about 75 percent of its population, depending on agriculture and allied activities as their primary source of livelihood. The district of Gajapati, in Odisha state, shows a similar trend of agricultural dominance in the economy. The study focuses on the following objectives -the cultivation of marigold, understand the marketing channels involved in the marketing of marigold and identifying the gaps and challenges in the marketing of marigold. Two villages (Allada and Gurandi) out of 249 villages in two blocks (Gosani and Kasinagar) were selected. The production and marketing data was collected on a well-structured survey method. Primary data was collected from selected marigold vendors and marigold growers through personal interviews using a pre-tested questionnaire. Out of the four marketing channels, only two were strictly used in the Paralakhemundi town of Gajapati district -one included cultivators, commission agents, wholesalers, retailers, and customers, and the second channel had cultivators and customers. Gajapati district comes under a sub-tropical zone of the climatic environment, so it is suitable for marigold cultivation, but most growers cultivate it as a border crop. Sellers and farmers are not aware of the cultivation of marigold commercially. The response of farmers to marigold production constraints include -the high price of fertilizers and insecticides, lack of labor, attack by pests and diseases, lack of scientific knowledge and training, environment-related issues, and instability in yield. A suitable strategy to overcome the constraints includes training farmers with contemporary research techniques to help them improvise the production business.