Green Manuring for Increasing Nitrogen use Efficiency and Growth Performance of Wheat

Abstract

In the absence of organic matter, the soil is an inert matter and cannot sustain productivity. The soil fertility scenario of Pakistan depicts low organic matter status and low nitrogen contents and has low use efficiency. This study was initiated during 2017-18 to enhance soil nitrogen contents and organic matter through green manuring and augmentation of N use efficiency under agro-ecological condition of Quetta. This experiment consists of five treatments (T1 = Green manuring (GM); T2 = GM +25% recommended N (30 kg N ha-1); T3 = GM+50% N (60 kg N ha-1); T4 = GM+75% N (90 kg N ha-1); T5 = GM+100% N (120 kg N ha-1) and three replications based on randomized complete block design (RCBD). The results revealed that all the study parameters except plant height and chlorophyll contents were improved when 75 and 100% recommended N were applied to wheat crops after green manuring. Green manuring helped in enhancing soil N level when 75% recommended N was applied because both 75 and 100% N expressed statistically at par differences for wheat traits and yield. In addition, green manuring increased NUE by 68.9, 147.0, 126.2, and 100.8% across different N percentages (25, 50, 75 and 100%). However, without the addition of nitrogen fertilizer, only green manuring could not meet the N requirement of wheat crops. Consequently, it is inferred that green manuring helped in enhancing soil organic matter and total nitrogen when N fertilizer was applied to the wheat crop. It is suggested that various green manure crops can be evaluated to augment SOM and TN for the succeeding crop.