Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
concentration where the P was fixed with Al or Fe. In the third experiment,
P. putida
and
B. brevis
were inoculated in an acidic sandy P-saturated soil for
4 weeks. The inoculation of the PSB showed promising results in solubilizing P
suggesting that the higher concentration of P did not have any negative effect on
P-solubilizing activity of microbes. In other study, many hydrolytic enzyme activ-
ities of forest soil were increased by the addition of N fertilizer, but the phenol
oxidase activity was dropped by 40 % compared to control plots (Saiya-Cork
et al.
2002
). In yet other investigation, Weand et al. (
2010
) found that the N addition
caused a change in the enzymatic activities in a soil which, however, depends on the
nature of the dominant substrates (labile or recalcitrant). Furthermore, the rhizo-
sphere effects on microbial activities and nutrient availability were reduced by
fertilizer addition in nutrient-poor forest soil, which was presumed to be due to
fertilizer-induced shifts in the belowground C supply (Phillips and Fahey
2008
).
Similarly, most studies have found obvious changes in soil microbial communities
after addition of organic or inorganic fertilizer amendments (Peacock et al.
2001
;
Marschner
2003
; Enwall et al.
2005
). Changes in soil microbial community struc-
ture were also observed following additions of inorganic N, P, and K fertilizers
(Zhang et al.
2007
; Yevdokimov et al.
2008
). However, the ecological conse-
quences of the application of various fertilizers in the rhizosphere are unclear,
because of the poor understanding of how changes in nutrient availability affects
the plant and soil microbial processes (Hobbie et al.
2002
). Fertilizer additions
possibly result in decreased C allocation to roots and subsequent decreases in
microbial respiration in the rhizosphere (Phillips and Fahey
2007
).
8.3 Pulse Production: A Brief Account
Pulses are the second most important nutritional group of crops after cereals in the
dietary system of many countries. India is the largest producer and consumer of
pulses in the world accounting for about 25 % of global production, 27 % of
consumption, and 34 % of food use (FAO
2009
). According to the Indian Council
of Agricultural Research (ICAR), an apex body of the National Agricultural
Research System, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, pulses production
in India has been hovering around 13-15 million tonnes during the last decade,
while annual domestic demand has risen to 18-19 million tonnes. During 2010-
2011, the production of pulses in India, estimated at 17.29 million tonnes, was an
all-time high record. According to the ministry of agriculture, the country has,
however, achieved all-time high-record pulse production of 18.45 million tonnes
(MT) in the 2012-2013 crop year ended June. The previous pulse production record
was 14.91 million tonnes during the year 2003-2004. Among kharif pulses (7.3
million tonnes), pigeon pea (3.15 million tonnes) and black gram (1.82 million
tonnes) production are all-time higher. A record production of 18.45 million tonnes
became possible primarily due to the availability of quality seeds to pulse growers.
Apart from the availability of quality seeds of high-yielding varieties, the strong
