Impact of Long Term Nutrient Management on Soil Quality Indices in Rice-Wheat System of Lower Indo-Gangetic Plain

Globally, soil degradation is an important issue for sustainable crop production. Soil quality indicators are the soil attributes that address the ecological functions of soil. Therefore, indicator-based soil quality assessment has been emphasized for quantifying the relative soil quality changes in different nutrient management systems. Soil quality underthe rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivam L.) cropping system was assessed using a modified “Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF)” model. Soil’s physical, chemical, nutritional, and biological indices were analyzed for different nutrient management strategies, viz., inorganic fertilizer (NPK), NPK + 7.5 Mg ha−1 farmyard manure (NPKF), NPK + 10.0 Mg ha−1 paddy straw (NPKP) and NPK + 8.0 Mg ha−1 Sesbania sesban L. green manure (NPKG). Nutrient management strategies significantly…