Abstract
Maintaining soil productivity in coherence with soil quality at an optimal level for sustainable production systems is essential. A study was thus conducted to assess the sustainability of soil management treatments with maintenance of soil quality for three continuous in a sub-humid inceptisol in kharif maize. The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design with the two tillage practices viz., minimum tillage (MT), conventional tillage (CT); two mulch practices viz., no mulch (NM) and straw mulch (SM) in four replications. Soil properties measured were bulk density (BD), infiltration rate (IR), organic carbon (OC), soil moisture (MC) and porosity (F). An attempt is made to select a few reliable indicators using multivariate statistical tools and assessment of soil quality index. Regression models of yield were calibrated for tillage and mulch treatments through monthly rainfall received during June to September and Infiltration rate (IR), organic carbon (OC), soil moisture (MC) and porosity (F). Soil moisture content emerged as the most discriminating soil quality indicator with maximum contribution to total variance of 72.5% followed by IR (17.9%) and porosity (9.6%). Based on analysis of variance, yield differences between tillage and mulch treatments and their interaction were significant in all seasons. The maize yield increased linearly with an increase in soil quality index (SQI) from 0.44 to 0.96. A high value of SQI indicated better soil quality and optimum yield. The minimum tillage plots had optimum SQI (0.78–0.96) and were sufficient for sustaining both maximum yield and soil quality. The predictive regression models result revealed that September rainfall had a significant negative effect on yield attained by tillage and mulch treatments. Ranks were assigned to tillage and mulch treatments for mean yield, prediction error, SYI and SQI over years. The study concluded that minimum tillage + mulch was superior with the lowest rank sum, SYI and SQI compared to other treatments. Acombined approach of SYI and SQI would be more effective for recommending a production management practice.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Maize yield increased linearly with soil quality index from 0.44 to 0.96.
- Treatment
- soil quality index (SQI)e1
- Outcome
- maize yielde1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- from 0.44 to 0.96e1
- Qualifier
- linearlye1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e1“The maize yield increased linearly with an increase in soil quality index (SQI) from 0.44 to 0.96”
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage plots had an optimum soil quality index of 0.78-0.96.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e2“The minimum tillage plots had optimum SQI (0.78–0.96) and were sufficient for sustaining both maximum yield and soil quality”
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage plots were sufficient for sustaining both maximum yield and soil quality.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e2“The minimum tillage plots had optimum SQI (0.78–0.96) and were sufficient for sustaining both maximum yield and soil quality”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil moisture content was the most discriminating soil quality indicator, contributing 72.5% of total variance.
- Outcome
- contribution to total variancee3
- Value
- 72.5%e3
- Qualifier
- most discriminating soil quality indicatore3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e3“Soil moisture content emerged as the most discriminating soil quality indicator with maximum contribution to total variance of 72.5% followed by IR (17.9%) and porosity (9.6%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Infiltration rate contributed 17.9% of total variance in soil quality.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e3“Soil moisture content emerged as the most discriminating soil quality indicator with maximum contribution to total variance of 72.5% followed by IR (17.9%) and porosity (9.6%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Porosity contributed 9.6% of total variance in soil quality.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e3“Soil moisture content emerged as the most discriminating soil quality indicator with maximum contribution to total variance of 72.5% followed by IR (17.9%) and porosity (9.6%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield differences between tillage and mulch treatments and their interaction were significant in all seasons.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e4“yield differences between tillage and mulch treatments and their interaction were significant in all seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
September rainfall had a significant negative effect on maize yield under tillage and mulch treatments.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e5“September rainfall had a significant negative effect on yield attained by tillage and mulch treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Minimum tillage plus mulch was superior to other treatments for rank sum, SYI and SQI.
- Treatment
- minimum tillage + mulche6
- Outcome
- rank sum, SYI and SQIe6
- Direction
- superiore6
- Comparator
- other treatmentse6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e6“minimum tillage + mulch was superior with the lowest rank sum, SYI and SQI compared to other treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
A combined approach of SYI and SQI would be more effective for recommending a production management practice.
- Outcome
- recommending a production management practicee7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The maize experiment was laid out in randomized block design”
e7“A combined approach of SYI and SQI would be more effective for recommending a production management practice”
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See all 18 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.