Integrated nutrient management under long run augments maize productivity, nitrogen cycling and microbial activity under acidic Alfisol in Eastern India

Integrated nutrient management under long run augments maize productivity, nitrogen cycling and microbial activity under acidic Alfisol in Eastern India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Integrated nutrient management under long run augments maize productivity, nitrogen cycling and microbial activity under acidic Alfisol in Eastern India Subhajeet Sarkar, Sushanta Kumar Naik, Tapan Jyoti Purakayastha, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6864333/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The impact of continuous chemical fertilisation on soil health and crop productivity was acutely dangerous especially in Eastern-Plateau and Hilly region of Jharkhand. Hence, an endeavour has attempted to assess the long run (7 years) nutrient management practices [control (T 1 ), inorganic (T 2 ), organic (T 3 ) and INM (T 4 )] on soil properties and crop productivity under maize-based cropping system in an acidic Alfisol. Data revealed, T 2 recorded highest cob yield (11.02 t ha − 1 ) and water productivity (1.95 kg m − 3 ), but at par with INM. Available N in T 2 was 5% higher than T 3 (100% organic) but, both T 3 and T 4 (INM) were statistically at par whereas, in 15–30 cm available N in T 2 was 13.7% and 14.22% higher than T 3 and T 4 , respectively. Organic (T 3 ) and INM (T 4 ) improve available K by 16.11% and 11% compared to T 2 . The temporal variation of mineral N within topsoil (0–15 cm) and subsoil layer (15–30 cm) shows INM (T 4 ) was the most effective as it sustains N balance over time in both layers throughout maize growth. Correlation analysis highlighted that available N, P, and K in the top soil was positively interlinked with yield but not sulphur. Temporal variation of MBC (Microbial Biomass Carbon) and dehydrogenase activity shows, T 4 (INM) was relatively consistent than T 2 and T 3 , with synergistic effect on microbial health. In nutshell it could be apprehended that, INM improved overall soil fertility and sustainability by maintaining optimum available nutrient content among all nutrient management options and increase soil sustainability. Alfisol Dehydrogenase Eastern-Plateau and Hilly region Integrated nutrient management Productivity Vermicompost Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 1. Introduction Eastern Plateau and Hills Region (EPHR) is one of the important agro-climatic regions accounts 13% of the total geographical area in India and covers states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and parts of West Bengal [ 1 ]. Agriculture is the main livelihood in this particular region but, several bottlenecks like soil erosion, subsoil acidity, lack of precipitation, low soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient deficiency considerably hinders agricultural productivity. A lion share of area of Jharkhand comes under EPHR and major crops grown are paddy, maize, pulses, pearl millet, sorghum, sugarcane, wheat, barley and mustard [ 2 ]. Out of this maize-black gram cropping system is the most popular one and the total area and production under maize in this specific region is 278032 ha and 606424 MT respectively with average yield of 2181 kg ha − 1 [ 3 ]. In general, Bihar and Jharkhand contribute a substantial portion to India's rabi maize production [ 4 , 5 ] but, severe environmental constraints as mentioned have restricted in achieving targeted yield goal. Furthermore, continuous synthetic fertilizer application aggravates the constraints by deteriorating the overall soil health. Over dependency on chemical fertilisation have deleterious impact on soil health and the major obstacles on sustainable crop production are: (i). depletion in soil organic carbon (ii). deterioration in soil physical structure and aggregation resulting poor water holding capacity (iii). significant decline in soil pH and mobilisation of toxic elements (iv) increasing gap between rate of application and anticipated production (v). exacerbating cost (vi). development of secondary and micronutrient deficiency [6;7]. In addition, shift in microbial activity due to sole reliance on chemical fertilisers reduces the soil's resilience, diminishes nutrient cycling capabilities and overall ecosystem functionality [ 8 ]. While in contrast to conventional practices, application of synthetic fertilisers and organic amendments in conjunction i.e. integrated nutrient management (INM) has been a sustainable alternative as organic sources not only supply essential nutrients and improve nutrient use efficiency (NUE) but also enhance SOM, ameliorate soil structure, and stabilize soil pH [ 9 ]. Synchronised nutrient availability with different growth stages, optimal uptake and minimal nutrient loss has made INM a superior alternative against conventional practices as beneficial impacts could be seen with better growth attributes and crop productivity [10; 11]. Moreover, INM promotes significant improvements in soil biological activity, as reflected in enhanced soil health indicators, including microbial activity [ 12 ]. Therefore, transitioning towards INM, represents a promising avenue to preserve soil health, maintain agricultural productivity, and promote environmental sustainability. However, concrete information’s water productivity and temporal availability of mineral nitrogen (N) and microbial activity about maize-based system specifically in EPHR was hardly documented as available literatures mostly concentrate on rice-wheat system under Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP). Hence, the present investigation was undertaken from a 7-year long-term experiment aimed to explore the impact of different nutrient management practices on the nutrient distribution in soil profile under long- term maize-based cropping system. We hypothesized that (i) organic addition would buffer the soil pH, increase the sustainability, (ii) organic and INM practice would increase cation absorption and will decrease cation leaching potential, (iii) organic amendments might also increase the microbial diversity. Through this work, we aspire to foster informed decision-making amongst farmers and agricultural policymakers, ultimately contributing to the broader goals of food security and environmental integrity in India. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Site characteristics The present long-term experiment started in 2016 at research farm of ICAR-RCER (Research Complex for eastern Region), FSRCHPR (Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region), Ranchi (23° 16ʹ 48” N latitude and 85° 24ʹ 41” E longitude), India. The area is under hot and dry sub-humid climate with annual rainfall of 1454.7 mm (during 2022–2023 year) and the maximum and the minimum temperature were noted 29.48 o C and 12.13 o C. Monthly distribution of rainfall of last 20-years has been presented in the Fig. 1 . The soil order of the experimental site is Alfisol (Typic Haplustalf). 2.2. Experimental design and treatment details The experimental was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with five replications every year. The treatments were; T 1 : Control (N0P0K0); T 2 : Inorganic (100%-recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF); T 3 : Organic (100% RDF as vermicompost); T 4 : INM (50% RDF as inorganic + 50% RDF as organic). The recommended dose of fertiliser (RDF) for maize and black gram was 120:60:60 kg ha − 1 (N:P 2 O 5 :K 2 O) and 25:50:25 kg ha − 1 (N:P 2 O 5 :K 2 O), respectively. In T 2 , full rate of P (through di-ammonium phosphate), and K (through muriate of potash) was applied as basal while, total N (through urea) dose was divided in three portions with the one-third of full amount was applied as basal and remaining doses were applied at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS) in maize. In T 4 , similar package of practice was followed like T 2 but, only 50% of RDF was maintained through synthetic sources and remaining 50% was applied through vermicompost. In T 3 , the entire amount of RDF was fulfilled through vermicompost while, no fertilizer was applied to control (T 1 ). Vermi-compost was mixed uniformly during land preparation (1 week before the sowing) in the organic (T 3 ) and INM (T 4 ) as per recommended doses. The nutrient content of applied vermi-compost was N(%): P(%): K(%) :: 0.79:0.17: 0.33 and the C:N ratio was 18.8:1. Vermicompost was applied in the organic and INM treatment during the maize growing period at a rate of 1.52 kg m − 2 and 0.76 kg m − 2 , respectively. In case of maize the organic sources can able to fulfil the 100% and 50% organic nutrient requirement and there was no biasness regarding nutrient content between the treatments except control which had received no nutrients till beginning. For, black gram vermicompost applied at a rate of 0.32 kg m − 2 and 0.16 kg m − 2 in the organic and INM treatment, respectively. The plot size was 12 m 2 (4m x 3m). Similar nutrient management practice was followed in black gram as described for maize. 2.3. Crop management Maize-Black gram cropping system is followed in the research plot from 2016 to till date. Rabi (winter) maize cv. “Tulbuliya” (duration: 110–115 days; seed rate: 20 kg ha − 1 ) and “IPU 94 − 1” (Uttara) variety for black gram was selected for the experiment. The seed for each plant (maize and black gram) was collected from RCER, Patna, Bihar (25° 35´ 37´´ N latitude and 85° 4´ 59´´ E longitude). Black gram was sown during second week of May and harvested in third week of July every year. After harvesting, maize was sown on the plot during the second fortnight of September and harvested in end of January. Spacing for maize and black gram was 65 cm x 25 cm (maize) and 30 cm x 20 cm, respectively. On average (average of 6 years), the applied amount of irrigation water was 556 mm in maize, and no irrigation applied for black gram, irrespective of treatments. Black gram normally harvested in the end of July. Maize cobs are typically harvested once at the end of the Rabi season, usually during the third week of January. Post-harvest soil samples were collected at the end of seventh cycle in maize on 21st January 2023. Soil samples were collected from all the plots and 4 consecutive depths (D 1 : 0–15 cm, D 2 : 15–30 cm, D 3 : 30–45 cm, D 4 : 45–60 cm) were selected for study. After collecting, soil samples are grounded in wooden mortar-pestle, sieved through 2 mm sieves and divided in two separate halves where, one part is used for analysis of soil chemical parameters and rest half was kept in refrigerator (4˚C) for analysing soil microbial parameters. 2.4. Analysis of soil chemical and microbial parameters Processed soil samples were analysed for various soil chemical parameters following standard package of practises as mentioned in Table 1 along with basic soil properties [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The exchangeable calcium (Ca 2+ ) and magnesium (Mg 2+ ) were determined by complexometric titration [ 19 ]. Available sulphur (S) content was measured by turbidimetric method [ 20 ]. The mineral N is extracted from two depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm) at periodical interval with 2 M KCl (shaking time: 1 h) and analysed following Kjeldahl method [ 21 ]. Cob yield had been recorded during according to the time of harvest. Root samples collected in the end of January. Root samples collected with the help of spade without disturbing the root and soil profile too much. Before collection of sample field have been irrigated to loosen the soil. Root volume was measured by water displacement method [ 22 ]. Water productivity during the crop growth has been recorded form the crop yield and water input. The total water input has been calculated from the rain gauge data and irrigation volume data. The irrigation volume was measured with the help of stopwatch and bucket during the time of each irrigation in each plot. The microbial biomass carbon (MBC) was determined by chloroform fumigation extraction method [ 23 ]. Dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was assessed through the reduction of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) to 1,3,5-triphenyl formazan (TPF) adopting colorimetric procedure [ 24 ]. Soil samples for analysing MBC and DHA were collected starting seven days after sowing, which was on September 10th, and then taken regularly every month thereafter. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) for randomized block design with two factor analysis. The significance of the treatment effect was determined using the F test. Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) test was used for multiple comparisons among the treatments at p ≤ 0.05 using the SPSS program (ver. 28.0). Principal component analysis has been carried out using Origin 2025 software. Table 1 Initial parameter values of soils in 0–15 cm depth (2016) Parameters Values Methods pH 5.84 Soil : Water :: 1: 2.5 (pH meter) (Jackson, Miller, and Forkiln. 1973) Electrical conductivity (EC) 0.703 dSm − 1 Soil : Water :: 1: 2.5 (pH meter) (Jackson Miller, and R. E. Forkiln. 1973) Soil organic carbon (SOC) 0.48 (%) Walkley and Black, 1934 Available nitrogen (N) 198.3 kg ha − 1 Subbiah and Asija, 1956 Available phosphorus (P) 28.5 kg ha − 1 Bray and Curtz, 1945 Available potassium (K) 182.3 kg ha − 1 1 N ammonium acetate extract) method (Hanway and Heidal, 1952) Soil texture 16.6% clay, 14.7% silt and 68.7% sand Hydrometer method (Bouyoucos, 1962). 3. Results 3.1. Soil chemical properties There is a significant pH difference in between the treatments as well as sampling depths (Table 2 ). The highest mean pH value (5.57) was noted under T 3 and it was 0.48 units higher than the 100% RDF (T 2 ). Highest pH value was found in D 1 (0–15 cm) of fully organically managed plots (T 3 ) (pH 6.47) and it decreases gradually in subsoil layers in all the treatments. The topsoil layer had a noticeably higher EC compared to subsoil but all the treatments were statistically at par. Application of organic amendments (T 3 ) (0.43%) showed a higher amount of SOC compared to the T 4 (0.40%) and T 2 (0.39%) treatments (Table 2 ). Irrespective of treatments, SOC decreased by 37.5% in D 2 (15–30 cm) compared to D 1 (0–15 cm). In 0–15 cm, T 3 and T 4 recorded 39.4% and 11.8% higher SOC compared to conventional practice (T 2 ), respectively. The mean effect of treatments on the available N was considerably higher in T 2 (Table 2 ). In case of depth wise results, available N was highest in D 2 (15–30 cm) (221.7 kg ha − 1 ) by 18.2 kg ha − 1 compared to D 1 (0–15 cm), and declined as depth increases. In D 1 (0–15 cm), available N in T 2 is 5% higher than T 3 (100% organic) and statistically at par with T 4 (INM) whereas in the subsoil layer (15–30 cm) available N in T 2 was 13.7% and 14.22% higher than T 3 and T 4 , respectively. Comparing the interaction effect of treatments and soil depth, the maximum amount of plant available N was found in D 2 layer of the inorganic treatment (T 2 ). Available P content was statistically at par in T 4 , T 3 and T 2 and there was non-significant interaction between treatments and depths. The topsoil layer (0–15 cm) had higher available P (30.32 kg ha − 1 ) compared to lower depths and the series follows: D 2 (21.85 kg ha − 1 ) > D 3 (15.18 kg ha − 1 ) > D 4 (14.39 kg ha − 1 ). The mean effect of treatments on the available K was considerably higher in the T 3 treatment (195.3 kg ha − 1 ) compared to T 4 (186.7 kg ha − 1 ) and T 2 (168.2 kg ha − 1 ). Organic (T 3 ) and INM (T 4 ) practice improves available K content by 16.11% and 11% compared to conventional system (T 2 ). The highest available K (199.9 kg ha − 1 ) was recorded in the D 1 (0–15 cm) while, corresponding values were 12.8%, 18.6% and 26% lower in D 2 (15–30 cm), D 3 (30–45 cm) and D 4 (45–60 cm), respectively. Exchangeable calcium (Ca 2+ ) content (4.26 cmol (p + ) kg − 1 ) was 13.3% and 10.5% higher in T 3 compared to the T 2 and T 4 , respectively. Maximum amount of exchangeable Ca 2+ was found in D 1 (4.30 cmol (p + ) kg − 1 ), and it declined gradually as soil depth increased. Within the topsoil (D 1 : 0–15 cm) and subsoil layer (D 2 : 15–30 cm), T 3 recorded 35.4% and 11.1% higher exchangeable Ca 2+ compared to conventional system (T 2 ), respectively. However, the mean value of Mg 2+ followed completely opposite trend as values were comparatively higher in the lower depths in lieu with the surface soil layers. The available sulphur (S) content varies considerably between the treatments and depths however, the interaction between two was non-significant (Table 2 ). The control plots (T 1 ) had a higher available S content (33.70 kg ha − 1 ) compared to other treatments. The available S content also reduces over the depths as experimental finding showed compared to D 1 (36.09 kg ha − 1 ) the value decreased by ~ 13 kg ha − 1 in D 4 . Table 2 Soil chemical properties at different soil depths in the post-harvest soils of Maize (2022-23) Treatments pH Electrical conductivity (dSm − 1 ) Soil organic C (%) Available N (kg/ha) Available P (kg/ha) Available K (kg/ha) Exchangeable Ca (cmol(p + ) kg − 1 soil) Exchangeable Mg (cmol(p + ) kg − 1 soil) Available S (kg/ha) T 1 5.29 b# 0.65 0.36 c 177.6 c 14.97 b 134.9 d 3.53 a 0.27 c 33.70 a T 2 5.09 c 0.62 0.39 b 219.0 a 22.42 a 168.2 c 3.69 bc 0.49 a 24.57 b T 3 5.57 a 0.65 0.43 a 204.7 b 21.93 a 195.3 a 4.26 a 0.48 ab 25.94 b T 4 5.37 b 0.68 0.40 b 209.4 b 22.42 a 186.7 b 3.81 b 0.45 b 26.47 b LSD (P ≤ 0.05) 0.118 NS 0.027 7.18 1.735 7.497 0.173 0.035 2.550 Depth of soil layers D 1 5.83 a 0.71 a 0.56 a 203.5 b 30.32 a 199.9 a 4.30 a 0.33 d 33.75 a D 2 5.40 b 0.66 b 0.35 b 221.7 a 21.85 b 174.4 b 3.91 b 0.40 c 27.64 b D 3 5.06 c 0.60 c 0.34 bc 196.1 bc 15.18 c 162.8 c 3.63 c 0.45 b 22.15 c D 4 5.04 c 0.63 bc 0.31 c 189.5 c 14.39 c 148.0 d 3.44 c 0.51 a 22.35 c LSD (P ≤ 0.05) 0.118 0.069 0.027 7.18 1.735 7.497 0.173 0.035 2.550 Interaction between treatments and depths T 1 D 1 5.78 b 0.73 0.44 d 159.7 g 25.47 146.9 fg 3.74 def 0.17 40.15 T 1 D 2 5.36 cd 0.58 0.37 e 190.6 def 13.16 138.5 ghi 3.57 def 0.25 33.76 T 1 D 3 4.98 efg 0.66 0.34 ef 183.1 ef 11.77 129.2 hi 3.30 f 0.27 30.32 T 1 D 4 5.05 efg 0.63 0.27 f 177.2 f 9.49 125.0 i 3.52 def 0.40 30.58 T 2 D 1 5.07 efg 0.70 0.51 c 222.0 b 32.28 194.8 bc 3.96 bcd 0.40 33.73 T 2 D 2 4.93 fg 0.68 0.34 e 255.9 a 24.16 170.2 de 3.86 bcde 0.46 22.89 T 2 D 3 5.16 def 0.56 0.36 e 202.0 cd 16.76 166.5 de 3.47 ef 0.54 21.78 T 2 D 4 5.22 cd 0.57 0.33 ef 196.1 cde 16.47 141.3 gh 3.46 ef 0.57 19.86 T 3 D 1 6.47 a 0.73 0.71 a 211.6 bc 31.67 234.0 a 5.36 a 0.40 36.74 T 3 D 2 5.87 b 0.66 0.35 e 220.8 b 24.04 199.1 b 4.29 b 0.46 27.23 T 3 D 3 5.07 efg 0.64 0.32 ef 197.3 cde 16.15 182.5 cd 3.93 bcde 0.51 20.31 T 3 D 4 4.88 g 0.58 0.32ef 189.1 def 15.88 165.7 e 3.45 ef 0.54 19.47 T 4 D 1 6.02 b 0.69 0.57 b 220.5 b 31.88 223.8 a 4.16 bc 0.36 33.75 T 4 D 2 5.43 c 0.72 0.35 e 219.5 b 26.04 189.9 bc 3.92 bcde 0.41 27.64 T 4 D 3 5.03 efg 0.55 0.33 ef 202.0 cd 16.03 173.0 de 3.83 bcde 0.48 22.15 T 4 D 4 5.02 efg 0.73 0.33 ef 195.6 cde 15.74 160.0 ef 3.34 f 0.54 22.35 LSD (P ≤ 0.05) 0.118 NS 0.055 14.36 NS 14.994 0.346 NS NS T 1 : N0P0K0 (Control); T 2 : 100% RDF as inorganic; T 3 : 100% RDF as organic; T 4 : 50% RDF as inorganic + 50% RDF as organic. D 1 : 0–15 cm depth; D 2 : 15–30 cm depth; D 3 : 30–45 cm depth; D 4 : 45–60 cm depth. Within a column, values indicated by the same letters are not significantly different at the 0.05 level of probability by Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) #Values followed by different upper case letters (a-i) are significantly different between treatments at p ≤ 0.05. Table 3 Correlation coefficients between different soil chemical properties under organic, inorganic and INM farming practices in 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm depth soil layer Top soil layer (0–15 cm)-A pH EC SOC AvlN AvlP AvlK ExCa ExMg AvlS EC 0.024 OC 0.618 ** -0.222 AvlN -0.023 -0.047 0.440 AvlP 0.012 0.205 0.387 0.793 ** AvlK 0.447 * -0.062 0.750 ** 0.748 ** 0.567 ** ExCa 0.645 ** -0.034 0.833 ** 0.334 0.256 0.737 ** ExMg -0.015 -0.058 0.567 ** 0.770 ** 0.615 ** 0.774 ** 0.529 * AvlS 0.013 0.391 -0.205 -0.408 -0.131 -0.452 * -0.236 -0.033 Yield -0.174 -0.247 0.299 0.867 ** 0.634 ** 0.613 ** 0.146 0.701 ** -0.482 * Sub soil layer (15–30 cm)- B EC -0.341 OC -0.065 -0.008 AvlN -0.511 * 0.395 -0.259 AvlP -0.004 0.452 * -0.288 0.570 ** AvlK 0.505 * 0.189 -0.369 0.369 0.764 ** ExCa 0.351 0.292 -0.343 0.330 0.463 * 0.631 ** ExMg 0.100 0.137 -0.578 ** 0.679 ** 0.438 0.695 ** 0.414 AvlS 0.104 0.011 0.386 -0.617 ** -0.353 -0.385 0.016 -0.663 ** Yield -0.196 0.263 -0.410 0.743 ** 0.662 ** 0.584 ** 0.347 0.680 ** -0.659 ** *Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level; **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level Abbreviations of components (EC: Electrical conductivity; SOC: Soil organic carbon; AvlN: Available Nitrogen, AvlP: Available Phosphorus, AvlK: Available Potassium, ExCa: Exchangeable Calcium, ExMg: Exchangeable Magnesium, AvlS: Available Sulphur, Y: Yield) 3.2. Yield, water productivity and root volume Maximum cob yield found in the inorganic (T 2 ) (11.02 t ha − 1 ) followed by INM (T 4 ) (10.26 t ha − 1 ) and organic (T 3 ) (7.57 t ha − 1 ), though there was no significant variation in between T 2 and T 4 (Fig. 2 A). In the point of water productivity, there was significant statistical difference between the inorganic (T 2 ), organic (T 3 ) and INM (T 4 ) with maximum recorded value in in T 2 (1.95 kg/m 3 ) (Fig. 2 A). Plants grown in inorganic treatment shows higher root volume (76.1 cm 3 /plant) followed by INM (56.3 cm 3 /plant) and organic treatment (43.3 cm 3 /plant) (Fig. 2 B). 3.3. Dynamics of mineral nitrogen (N) In Fig. 3 A and 3 B temporal variation of mineral N under maize has been illustrated in the D 1 (0–15 cm) and D 2 (15–30 cm) respectively. As data revealed, content of mineral N was slightly lower (123.3 ppm) in T 2 (inorganic fertilizer) due to split application of synthetic N (urea) but in subsequent phases it follows similar trend like T 4 (Fig. 3 A). Although, mineral N levels were initially similar in subsoil and surface layer but more gradual decline can be noticed in the later (Fig. 3 B) suggesting N leaching from the topsoil to the subsoil over time, especially in T 2 (inorganic) and T 4 (INM). After 10th week, T 3 and T 4 became statistically at par but, releases of N was much gradual in T 3 (Organic) and T 4 (INM) rather than a sharp drop (Fig. 3 B). Nonetheless, highest N availability was recorded in T 4 (INM) during sowing by 135 ppm and 143 ppm in D 1 and D 2 , respectively. 3.4. Dynamics of soil microbial activity Dehydrogenase (DHA) activity in the top soil layer (0–15 cm) increases from September to October, reaches a peak in November, and then declines in December and January (Fig. 4 A). While, in T 3 (organic) maximum DHA could be visible in November (78.8 µg TPF g − 1 day − 1 ) and maintains the same trend throughout the study (Fig. 4 A). T 2 (inorganic) exhibits a sharp rise in DHA up to October, peaks in December (58.7 µg TPF g − 1 day − 1 ), and then declines as inorganic fertilizers stimulate microbial activity early, but their effect was not sustained. Throughout the study period, DHA activity was found in the order of: organic (T 3 ) > integrated (T 4 ) > inorganic (T 2 ). Similar to DHA, T 1 (control) shows the lowest MBC values throughout the period (in between 20.7 and 52.8 mg kg − 1 ) (Fig. 4 B). Among all the treatments, T 3 (organic) has the maximum recorded MBC across all time periods, with highest value of 246 mg kg − 1 (in September). The values of MBC in the T 4 (INM) fall in between organic (T 3 ) and inorganic (T 2 ) with a relatively steady trend with slight dip in January (Fig. 4 B). Higher MBC in INM by 11.7%, 35.5% and 33.6% compared to T 2 in November, December and January, respectively. 4. Discussion 4.1. Effect on soil chemical properties The higher pH observed in the organic treatment followed by INM can be explained by the buffering nature of organic matter and Al 3+ adsorption even in very acidic forest soils (pH 4.2) [ 25 ]. Previous studies [ 26 , 27 ] also emphasized the negative impact between soil pH and continuous synthetic fertiliser application. Subsoil acidity in Alfisol might be another reason behind pH decline with increasing profile depth [ 28 ]. Evaporation of water in the top soil layer and migration of salts from the underlying layers might have surged EC in the 0–15 cm layer. Evaporation and intermittent irrigation plays pivotal role in transporting salts from wet zones to the surface, causing higher solute concentration near the surface [ 29 ]. Higher organic carbon in surface layers can be explained by the rapid decomposition of litter mediated by higher microbial activity [ 30 , 31 ]. Increasing nutrient supplies in the soil may also decrease root length but increase root weight in a quadratic fashion. Reports suggest, moderate N fertilization rate (240 kg ha − 1 ) increased root length, root surface area, and root biomass in most soil layers under cotton [ 32 ]. 4.2. Effect on soil fertility 4.2.1. Primary elements Available N was more in plants supplied with synthetic N sources than grown in organic [ 33 ]. Inorganic nitrogen sources are easily available to plants whereas organic sources increases the chance of immobilization. External organic matter addition promotes P mobility vis-à-vis plant uptake and decreases sesquioxides mediated P fixation [ 34 ]. Lower P availability in sub-surface layers was due to-i. lower SOC in the lower depths ii. fixation of P by the sesquioxides (Fe/Al oxides and hydroxides) [ 34 ]. Formation of bi-dentate P-complex by sesquioxides might have reduced the P-availability which was a typical phenomenon under acidic Alfisol which as it can goes up to 50% of the total P-adsorbed [ 35 ]. The decrement of available K with depth due to the higher K-leaching multiplied by poor SOC which help in K-retention. Furthermore, the decreased soil pH in the subsoil layer increased the K mobility via promoting acid leaching compared to the topsoil [ 36 ]. The higher available K in organic and INM can be explained as organic matter significantly increased the initial fast rate of K adsorption and has more readily accessible adsorption sites for K compared to the mineral component of the soil [ 37 ]. The availability of K was increased through progressive mineralization of organic materials, which improve K availability to plants [ 38 ]. Organic acids (humic and fulvic) from organic fertilizer and their breakdown caused some potassium-containing soil minerals to dissolve [ 39 ]. 4.2.2. Secondary elements The highest exchangeable calcium was observed in T 3 as organic matter makes a strong bond with the divalent cations, thus decreases the mobility, and reduces the leaching potential of Ca 2+ [ 40 ]. At various pH levels, the organic matter displays more stable aggregation with Ca 2+ [ 41 ] which could be reflected with differential content of Ca 2+ with soil depths. Additionally, vermicompost has a substantial amount of Ca 2+ (20–70 milli-equivalent 100g − 1 ), which significantly increased the soil available Ca 2+ pool [ 42 ]. Generally, nitrate-N and Ca 2+ leaching increased with the increasing rate of N fertilization especially under acidic conditions [ 43 ]. Therefore, higher application of inorganic nitrogen aggravates the cacium leaching from the soil profile. The lower pH values of the subsoil layer further infuriated the situation and promote rapid calcium leaching. Exchangeable Mg 2+ content was not appreciably different in T 2 , T 3 and T 4 . The higher ex-Mg in the organic and INM compared to control was due to (i). supply of Mg 2+ from vermicompost (ii). application of vermicompost improves root-secretions which augment Mg 2+ availability (iii) Mg 2+ forms stable complexes with organic matter [ 44 ]. The lower available S in all nutrient management plots compared to control as the later extracted more S from soil [ 45 ]. Additionally, it was discovered that the amount of accessible S decreased as soil depth increased and SOC reduces in lower depth [ 46 ]. 4.3. Effect on yield, water productivity and root volume of maize The maximum cob yield noticed in inorganic and INM could be explained by the rapid nutrient availability in the chemically fertilised plots which allow crops to uptake essential nutrients especially in the critical growth stages like early vegetative growth and cob formation. As, organic materials causes temporarily nutrient immobilization, which affects the productivity and on contrary nutrients become available only after microbial breakdown, which may not align with the crop's growth cycle. Whereas in INM, the balanced nutrient supply increases crop yield and became at par with 100% chemically fertilised plots [ 47 ]. Organic alone, although ecologically sound, may not meet yield targets due to slow nutrient mineralization and temporary immobilization. The highest water productivity in T 2 can be explained as the prompt availability of nutrients helps in better water utilization Inorganic fertilizers have an immediate impact on plant growth unlike organic fertilizers [ 48 ]. Though, there was no statistically significant variation in between the inorganic and INM. Studies show that organic and INM practices improve soil health over long duration of time, inorganic treatments can temporarily enhance soil properties like water-holding [ 49 ]. The higher root volume observed in the inorganic followed by INM as inorganic treatments provide nutrients that are quickly accessible and encourages plant roots to expand and penetrate deeper layers of the soil profile in search of nutrients [ 50 ]. 4.4. Temporal variation of mineral nitrogen in soil In the early growth phase (2–6 weeks), T 4 and T 3 show a gradual decrease in KCl extractable N, while, T 4 sustained higher N content (110.8 ppm in 6th week) in the subsequent phases highlighting better N-release from vermi-compost boosting overall plant growth and nutrient uptake [ 51 ]. In the mid-growth phase (6–10 weeks), T 2 (Inorganic) shows a declining trend as synthetic N sources are quickly utilized or leached [ 52 ]. In the later growth phase (14–18 weeks) all treatments show a steady decline as crop uptake increases and N reserves deplete. However, T 4 still maintains the higher mineral N levels than T 3 , reinforcing that INM could provide sustained N-availability. Experimental findings showed, T 2 shows high initial available N due to rapid dissolution and sharp decline after 2nd week as N-gets leached to the deeper layers or up taken by crop. Dynamics of N in the top soil was more variable, responds quickly to fertilization and depletion, while subsoil N was more stable but still declines over time [ 53 ]. In nutshell, INM (T 4 ) is the most effective and it maintains the best N balance over time in both layers throughout maize growth while inorganic fertilization (T 2 ) provide an initial N boost but decline comparatively faster due to leaching and plant uptake over T 3 and T 4 . 4.5. Temporal variation of microbial activity The increasing trend of DHA activity during September to November and followed by a decrement suggests that microbial activity is highest during the early to mid-growth stages of rabi maize and declines as the crop mature as it coincides with optimal conditions for growth and nutrient availability [ 54 ]. T 1 (control) shows the lowest DHA activity (in between 18.6 to 33.6 µg TPF g − 1 day − 1 ) throughout the maize-growing period indicates poor microbial activity due to nutrient deficiency. Highest DHA value (67.17 µg TPF g − 1 day − 1 ) was witnessed in T 4 (INM) during October pointing towards integrated practices can boost microbial activity and function by maximizing nutrient supply [ 55 ]. Elevated DHA activity in T 3 and T 4 implies that organic matter addition increases microbial biomass and function. Irrespective of treatment, decline in DHA as well as MBC in December and January could be attributed to depletion of available nutrients in later growth stages, lower soil temperatures and in minimal secretion of rhizodeposits in maturity [ 56 ]. It was noticed that, T 2 (inorganic) has relatively high MBC initially, but it declines over time, especially after November suggesting that inorganic fertilizers alone may not sustain microbial biomass due to negative impact on SOC and accelerate soil acidification [ 57 ]. Organic treatment recorded the highest amount of MBC addition as organic matter revamped microbial activity and biomass via supplying key nutrients and protecting from abrupt climatic events [ 58 ]. Higher MBC recorded in INM compared to inorganic, directly established a strong connection between soil health and microbial biomass through the provision of a diverse nutrient background [ 59 ]. The T 3 (organic) and T 4 (INM) treatments exhibit a rise in MBC during November, indicating improved microbial activity as a result of organic matter mineralization and nutrient supply. 4.6. Correlation study and principal component analysis (PCA) Strong positive correlation between soil pH and other parameters like OC (r = 0.618), available K (r = 0.447) and available Ca (r = 0.645) can be recorded in 0–15 cm layer (Fig. 2 A) (p < 0.05). In soil higher calcium carbonate content often raises soil pH and in general K-availability was predominantly higher in the neutral pH [ 60 ]. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.750) suggests that organic matter improves K retention, possibly by enhancing cation exchange capacity (CEC) and release of K by decomposition of OM [ 61 ]. Available K and exchangeable Mg 2+ also play crucial roles in crop productivity (r = 0.613 and 0.701, respectively at p < 0.01) as Mg 2+ is an important factor in plant nutrition, possibly due to its role in chlorophyll production and enzyme activation [ 62 ]. Available P shows substantial correlations with other available nutrients like available K (r = 0.567 at p < 0.01) and N (r = 0.793 at p < 0.01) supporting the idea of balanced nutrient management in soil systems to optimize plant productivity (Table 3 A). Also, similarly exchangeable Mg 2+ correlates positively with available N (r = 0.770 at p < 0.01), available P (r = 0.615 at p < 0.01), and available K (r = 0.774 at p < 0.05) in the 0–15 cm layer (Table 3 A). This shows magnesium cycling in the soil could promote overall nutrient dynamics, positively impacting N, P and K availability [ 63 ]. A significant negative correlation (-0.482 at p < 0.05) suggests that excessive S may reduce crop productivity, possibly due to soil acidification or antagonistic effects on other nutrients particularly in the 0–15 cm (Table 3 A). In the subsoil, positive correlation (r = 0.505 at p < 0.05) between available K and soil pH suggests K availability increases with higher pH. Also, negative correlation between soil pH and available N indicates (r=-0.511 at p < 0.05) with rise in pH, reduced microbial activity during N mineralization resulted poor N availability (Table 3 B). Negative correlation between SOC and yield in the sub-surface depth (15–30 cm) indicate that the subsoil organic matter does not contribute to yield as this organic fraction not easy to decompose compared to the top soil organic matter. The highest positive correlation among maize productivity and available N (r = 0.743 at p < 0.01), available P (r = 0.662 at p < 0.01) confirmed N and P availability is the most critical factor for improving yield [ 64 ] (Table 3 B). Similar to top layer, available S has a strong negative correlation (-0.659 at p < 0.01) with yield, suggesting its excessive accumulation in deeper layers may be harmful (Table 3 B). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed parameters like available N, available P and yield are closely interlinked particularly in T 2 and T 4 (Fig. 5 A). Also, it can be apprehended that available S was negatively correlated with other essential nutrients (N, P and K) as well as with yield in the 0–15 cm layer. Productivity of maize in the surface layer (0–15 cm) was strongly interlinked with available N, P and exchangeable magnesium and productivity levels in T 2 and T 4 were at par. In the sub-surface layer (15–30 cm) available P and K were closely associated as visible in Fig. 5 B. Similar to surface layer, the interaction between yield and parameters like pH, available S and OC were distantly related as addition of organic matter revamped microbial activity and biomass via supplying key nutrients and protecting from abrupt climatic events [ 58 ]. 5. Conclusion Inclusion of vermicompost along with sub-optimal synthetic fertiliser have influential impact on maize productivity, soil bio-chemical activity and dynamics of mineral N under long term acidic Alfisol. After 7 crop cycles, cob yield of maize was highest in T 2 (100% RDF through synthetics) (11.02 t ha − 1 ) and at par with T 4 (INM). Among available nutrients, N (219 kg ha − 1 ) and P (22.42 kg ha − 1 ) were significantly higher in T 2 whereas, available K (195.3 kg ha − 1 ) and exchangeable Ca (4.26 cmol(p + ) kg − 1 soil) was recorded maximum in T 3 . Irrespective of depth, mineral N did not vary significantly between the treatments except T 1 . Microbial activity (MBC and dehydrogenase) was significantly higher in T 3 compared to others throughout the experimental period due to availability of organic carbon, nutrients and better soil health. Furthermore, correlation study and principal component analysis study showed strong positive interlinkage between grain yield with available N, P and K but, excess sulphur could have deleterious effect. So, from this study it is clear that inorganic sources can promptly supply nutrients to plant and increases the available N, crop yield, root growth and water productivity, whereas organic sources helps in stabilizing cation, increases soil microbial activity. Thus, it can be concluded that T 2 (100% RDF) and T 4 (Integrated nutrient management) are identical concerning crop performance and soil fertility but as a sustainable practice INM could be promoted in EPHR which must be validated by further field experimentation. Declarations Acknowledgement The first author is highly thankful to ICAR for providing junior research fellowship as a financial support. Also, grateful to the scientist and staffs of ICAR-FSRCHPR, Ranchi. Author’s contribution SS: investigation, formal Analysis, writing and editing of the original draft. SKN: Conceptualization, methodology, supervision, investigation, methodology and review of original draft. TJP: supervision, review of original draft. AD: review of original draft. SSM: supervision. Funding The Authors did not receive financial support from any organization for this research. Disclosure Statement The authors declare no potential conflict of interest. Ethics declaration: The collection and use of plant materials in this study complied with all relevant institutional, national, and international guidelines and legislation. Maize (Zea mays L.) seeds used in the experiment were procured from the ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi, India. The plant materials were cultivated at the experimental farm of ICAR FSCHPR-RCER, Ranchi, Jharkhand. No wild plant specimens were collected, and therefore, no permissions or licenses were required. Consent to Publish declaration: not applicable. Consent to Participate declaration: not applicable Clinical trial: We have not carried out any clinical trial. Data availability: The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. References Naik S K, Shinde R, Das A. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6864333","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":485065851,"identity":"87a73c09-bfa2-4342-b8c8-392af7bb02b5","order_by":0,"name":"Subhajeet Sarkar","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"ICAR-IARI","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Subhajeet","middleName":"","lastName":"Sarkar","suffix":""},{"id":485065852,"identity":"8a80317a-bee3-4e8e-997e-784798e855a3","order_by":1,"name":"Sushanta Kumar Naik","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ICAR-RCER","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sushanta","middleName":"Kumar","lastName":"Naik","suffix":""},{"id":485065853,"identity":"c2a1858c-bf4d-46a7-95a0-f55836c3f35a","order_by":2,"name":"Tapan Jyoti Purakayastha","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ICAR-IARI","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tapan","middleName":"Jyoti","lastName":"Purakayastha","suffix":""},{"id":485065854,"identity":"52ad527c-897e-4a28-be21-c0faf1ef5da2","order_by":3,"name":"Asik Dutta","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Asik","middleName":"","lastName":"Dutta","suffix":""},{"id":485065855,"identity":"a78d15a2-dd6e-4f47-a972-80db9f89e57b","order_by":4,"name":"Santosh Sambhaji Mali","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ICAR-RCER","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Santosh","middleName":"Sambhaji","lastName":"Mali","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-10 14:53:31","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6864333/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6864333/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":86786332,"identity":"8f4af73f-ff63-49d7-ab25-9ef56826ead7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-15 14:09:30","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":168399,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMonth-wise distribution of annual rainfall (cm) of the experimental site (2004–2023)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6864333/v1/817fd991d7d656ec5525f6c2.png"},{"id":86786331,"identity":"d92432f2-b9a5-4407-9b3b-be7bc6b8d49d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-15 14:09:30","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":93281,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCob yield and Water productivity (A) and Root volume (B) of maize grown under different nutrient management practices. Error bars represent standard errors.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbbreviation of components\u003c/strong\u003e (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: N0P0K0 (Control); T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as inorganic; T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as organic; T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: 50% RDF as inorganic + 50% RDF as organic) # Values followed by different uppercase letters (a-d) are significantly different treatments at p≤0.05\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6864333/v1/3986f6b8deaaf26926365089.png"},{"id":86786336,"identity":"bcbc8e34-39de-4917-9033-aec86be12c0d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-15 14:09:30","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":252045,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTemporal variation of mineral nitrogen in 0-15 cm (A) and 15-30 cm (B) depth of soil grown under different nutrient management practices. Error bars represent standard errors.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbbreviation of components\u003c/strong\u003e (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: N0P0K0 (Control); T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as inorganic; T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as organic; T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: 50% RDF as inorganic + 50% RDF as organic) # Values followed by different uppercase letters (a-c) are significantly different treatments at p≤0.05\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6864333/v1/36bc69b44301421d181d4174.png"},{"id":86786334,"identity":"188a54ee-d400-4195-9e9e-584a2872fb48","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-15 14:09:30","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":281722,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTemporal variation in Dehydrogenase activity (A) and Microbial biomass carbon (B) of soils for different nutrient management system. Error bars represent standard errors.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbbreviation of components\u003c/strong\u003e (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: N0P0K0 (Control); T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as inorganic; T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as organic; T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: 50% RDF as inorganic + 50% RDF as organic) # Values followed by different uppercase letters (a-d) are significantly different treatments at p≤0.05\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6864333/v1/eb938fa909060a05683bbc28.png"},{"id":86787216,"identity":"c0ded99c-e126-43bc-a7e3-91cceef0016c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-15 14:17:30","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":932211,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrincipal component analysis for the relationship between soil chemical parameters in 0-15 cm (A) and 15-30 cm (B) depth and maize cob yield under different nutrient management practices;\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e4 treatments are shown with four different dots in biplot. The contribution of soil chemical parameters is shown by arrows. In the 5(A) figure, first principal component (PC1) and the second principal component (PC2) capture 48.28 % and 20.92 % of total variations among 4 treatments, respectively. In the 5(B) figure, first principal component (PC1) and the second principal component (PC2) capture 45.58 % and 19.27 % of total variations among 4 treatments, respectively.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbbreviation of components\u003c/strong\u003e (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: N0P0K0 (Control); T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as inorganic; T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as organic; T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: 50% RDF as inorganic + 50% RDF as organic), Chemical parameters mentioned: pH, EC (electrical conductivity), OC (easily oxidisable organic carbon), AvlN (Available nitrogen), AvlP (Available phosphorus), AvlK (Available potassium), ExCa (Exchangeable calcium), ExMg (Exchangeable magnesium), AvlS (Available Sulphur)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6864333/v1/f5a41eab438902b1d669df29.png"},{"id":86788974,"identity":"217b7bee-5623-45e7-8e99-aa76064478e1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-15 14:33:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3633021,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6864333/v1/efbfb1ce-7481-4852-a917-5c837eba787b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eIntegrated nutrient management under long run augments maize productivity, nitrogen cycling and microbial activity under acidic \u003cem\u003eAlfisol \u003c/em\u003ein Eastern India\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eEastern Plateau and Hills Region (EPHR) is one of the important agro-climatic regions accounts 13% of the total geographical area in India and covers states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and parts of West Bengal [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. Agriculture is the main livelihood in this particular region but, several bottlenecks like soil erosion, subsoil acidity, lack of precipitation, low soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient deficiency considerably hinders agricultural productivity. A lion share of area of Jharkhand comes under EPHR and major crops grown are paddy, maize, pulses, pearl millet, sorghum, sugarcane, wheat, barley and mustard [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Out of this maize-black gram cropping system is the most popular one and the total area and production under maize in this specific region is 278032 ha and 606424 MT respectively with average yield of 2181 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. In general, Bihar and Jharkhand contribute a substantial portion to India's rabi maize production [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e] but, severe environmental constraints as mentioned have restricted in achieving targeted yield goal. Furthermore, continuous synthetic fertilizer application aggravates the constraints by deteriorating the overall soil health.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver dependency on chemical fertilisation have deleterious impact on soil health and the major obstacles on sustainable crop production are: (i). depletion in soil organic carbon (ii). deterioration in soil physical structure and aggregation resulting poor water holding capacity (iii). significant decline in soil pH and mobilisation of toxic elements (iv) increasing gap between rate of application and anticipated production (v). exacerbating cost (vi). development of secondary and micronutrient deficiency [6;7]. In addition, shift in microbial activity due to sole reliance on chemical fertilisers reduces the soil's resilience, diminishes nutrient cycling capabilities and overall ecosystem functionality [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. While in contrast to conventional practices, application of synthetic fertilisers and organic amendments in conjunction i.e. integrated nutrient management (INM) has been a sustainable alternative as organic sources not only supply essential nutrients and improve nutrient use efficiency (NUE) but also enhance SOM, ameliorate soil structure, and stabilize soil pH [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Synchronised nutrient availability with different growth stages, optimal uptake and minimal nutrient loss has made INM a superior alternative against conventional practices as beneficial impacts could be seen with better growth attributes and crop productivity [10; 11]. Moreover, INM promotes significant improvements in soil biological activity, as reflected in enhanced soil health indicators, including microbial activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, transitioning towards INM, represents a promising avenue to preserve soil health, maintain agricultural productivity, and promote environmental sustainability. However, concrete information\u0026rsquo;s water productivity and temporal availability of mineral nitrogen (N) and microbial activity about maize-based system specifically in EPHR was hardly documented as available literatures mostly concentrate on rice-wheat system under Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP). Hence, the present investigation was undertaken from a 7-year long-term experiment aimed to explore the impact of different nutrient management practices on the nutrient distribution in soil profile under long- term maize-based cropping system. We hypothesized that (i) organic addition would buffer the soil pH, increase the sustainability, (ii) organic and INM practice would increase cation absorption and will decrease cation leaching potential, (iii) organic amendments might also increase the microbial diversity. Through this work, we aspire to foster informed decision-making amongst farmers and agricultural policymakers, ultimately contributing to the broader goals of food security and environmental integrity in India.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.1. Site characteristics\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe present long-term experiment started in 2016 at research farm of ICAR-RCER (Research Complex for eastern Region), FSRCHPR (Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region), Ranchi (23\u0026deg; 16ʹ 48\u0026rdquo; N latitude and 85\u0026deg; 24ʹ 41\u0026rdquo; E longitude), India. The area is under hot and dry sub-humid climate with annual rainfall of 1454.7 mm (during 2022\u0026ndash;2023 year) and the maximum and the minimum temperature were noted 29.48 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC and 12.13 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC. Monthly distribution of rainfall of last 20-years has been presented in the Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The soil order of the experimental site is \u003cem\u003eAlfisol\u003c/em\u003e (Typic Haplustalf).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.2. Experimental design and treatment details\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe experimental was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with five replications every year. The treatments were; T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: Control (N0P0K0); T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: Inorganic (100%-recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF); T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: Organic (100% RDF as vermicompost); T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: INM (50% RDF as inorganic\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;50% RDF as organic). The recommended dose of fertiliser (RDF) for maize and black gram was 120:60:60 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (N:P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e:K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO) and 25:50:25 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (N:P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e:K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO), respectively. In T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, full rate of P (through di-ammonium phosphate), and K (through muriate of potash) was applied as basal while, total N (through urea) dose was divided in three portions with the one-third of full amount was applied as basal and remaining doses were applied at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS) in maize. In T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, similar package of practice was followed like T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e but, only 50% of RDF was maintained through synthetic sources and remaining 50% was applied through vermicompost. In T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, the entire amount of RDF was fulfilled through vermicompost while, no fertilizer was applied to control (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e). Vermi-compost was mixed uniformly during land preparation (1 week before the sowing) in the organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) and INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) as per recommended doses. The nutrient content of applied vermi-compost was N(%): P(%): K(%) :: 0.79:0.17: 0.33 and the C:N ratio was 18.8:1. Vermicompost was applied in the organic and INM treatment during the maize growing period at a rate of 1.52 kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e and 0.76 kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e, respectively. In case of maize the organic sources can able to fulfil the 100% and 50% organic nutrient requirement and there was no biasness regarding nutrient content between the treatments except control which had received no nutrients till beginning. For, black gram vermicompost applied at a rate of 0.32 kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e and 0.16 kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e in the organic and INM treatment, respectively. The plot size was 12 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e (4m x 3m). Similar nutrient management practice was followed in black gram as described for maize.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.3. Crop management\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaize-Black gram cropping system is followed in the research plot from 2016 to till date. Rabi (winter) maize cv. \u0026ldquo;Tulbuliya\u0026rdquo; (duration: 110\u0026ndash;115 days; seed rate: 20 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and \u0026ldquo;IPU 94\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u0026rdquo; (Uttara) variety for black gram was selected for the experiment. The seed for each plant (maize and black gram) was collected from RCER, Patna, Bihar (25\u0026deg; 35\u0026acute; 37\u0026acute;\u0026acute; N latitude and 85\u0026deg; 4\u0026acute; 59\u0026acute;\u0026acute; E longitude). Black gram was sown during second week of May and harvested in third week of July every year. After harvesting, maize was sown on the plot during the second fortnight of September and harvested in end of January. Spacing for maize and black gram was 65 cm x 25 cm (maize) and 30 cm x 20 cm, respectively. On average (average of 6 years), the applied amount of irrigation water was 556 mm in maize, and no irrigation applied for black gram, irrespective of treatments. Black gram normally harvested in the end of July. Maize cobs are typically harvested once at the end of the Rabi season, usually during the third week of January. Post-harvest soil samples were collected at the end of seventh cycle in maize on 21st January 2023. Soil samples were collected from all the plots and 4 consecutive depths (D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: 0\u0026ndash;15 cm, D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 15\u0026ndash;30 cm, D\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: 30\u0026ndash;45 cm, D\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: 45\u0026ndash;60 cm) were selected for study. After collecting, soil samples are grounded in wooden mortar-pestle, sieved through 2 mm sieves and divided in two separate halves where, one part is used for analysis of soil chemical parameters and rest half was kept in refrigerator (4˚C) for analysing soil microbial parameters.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.4. Analysis of soil chemical and microbial parameters\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eProcessed soil samples were analysed for various soil chemical parameters following standard package of practises as mentioned in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e along with basic soil properties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. The exchangeable calcium (Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e) and magnesium (Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e) were determined by complexometric titration [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Available sulphur (S) content was measured by turbidimetric method [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. The mineral N is extracted from two depths (0\u0026ndash;15 and 15\u0026ndash;30 cm) at periodical interval with 2 M KCl (shaking time: 1 h) and analysed following Kjeldahl method [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Cob yield had been recorded during according to the time of harvest. Root samples collected in the end of January. Root samples collected with the help of spade without disturbing the root and soil profile too much. Before collection of sample field have been irrigated to loosen the soil. Root volume was measured by water displacement method [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Water productivity during the crop growth has been recorded form the crop yield and water input. The total water input has been calculated from the rain gauge data and irrigation volume data. The irrigation volume was measured with the help of stopwatch and bucket during the time of each irrigation in each plot. The microbial biomass carbon (MBC) was determined by chloroform fumigation extraction method [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. Dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was assessed through the reduction of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) to 1,3,5-triphenyl formazan (TPF) adopting colorimetric procedure [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. Soil samples for analysing MBC and DHA were collected starting seven days after sowing, which was on September 10th, and then taken regularly every month thereafter. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) for randomized block design with two factor analysis. The significance of the treatment effect was determined using the F test. Duncan\u0026rsquo;s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) test was used for multiple comparisons among the treatments at p\u0026thinsp;\u003cspan type=\"Underline\" class=\"Underline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e\u0026le;\u003c/span\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05 using the SPSS program (ver. 28.0). Principal component analysis has been carried out using Origin 2025 software.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eInitial parameter values of soils in 0\u0026ndash;15 cm depth (2016)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eParameters\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eValues\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMethods\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoil : Water :: 1: 2.5 (pH meter) (Jackson, Miller, and Forkiln. 1973)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eElectrical conductivity (EC)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.703 dSm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoil : Water :: 1: 2.5 (pH meter) (Jackson Miller, and R. E. Forkiln. 1973)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoil organic carbon (SOC)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.48 (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWalkley and Black, 1934\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable nitrogen (N)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e198.3 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSubbiah and Asija, 1956\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable phosphorus (P)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.5 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBray and Curtz, 1945\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable potassium (K)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e182.3 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1 N ammonium acetate extract) method (Hanway and Heidal, 1952)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoil texture\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.6% clay, 14.7% silt and 68.7% sand\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHydrometer method (Bouyoucos, 1962).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.1. Soil chemical properties\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is a significant pH difference in between the treatments as well as sampling depths (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The highest mean pH value (5.57) was noted under T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and it was 0.48 units higher than the 100% RDF (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e). Highest pH value was found in D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (0\u0026ndash;15 cm) of fully organically managed plots (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) (pH 6.47) and it decreases gradually in subsoil layers in all the treatments. The topsoil layer had a noticeably higher EC compared to subsoil but all the treatments were statistically at par. Application of organic amendments (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) (0.43%) showed a higher amount of SOC compared to the T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (0.40%) and T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (0.39%) treatments (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Irrespective of treatments, SOC decreased by 37.5% in D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (15\u0026ndash;30 cm) compared to D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (0\u0026ndash;15 cm). In 0\u0026ndash;15 cm, T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e recorded 39.4% and 11.8% higher SOC compared to conventional practice (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e), respectively. The mean effect of treatments on the available N was considerably higher in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). In case of depth wise results, available N was highest in D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (15\u0026ndash;30 cm) (221.7 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) by 18.2 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e compared to D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (0\u0026ndash;15 cm), and declined as depth increases. In D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (0\u0026ndash;15 cm), available N in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e is 5% higher than T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (100% organic) and statistically at par with T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) whereas in the subsoil layer (15\u0026ndash;30 cm) available N in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e was 13.7% and 14.22% higher than T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, respectively. Comparing the interaction effect of treatments and soil depth, the maximum amount of plant available N was found in D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e layer of the inorganic treatment (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e). Available P content was statistically at par in T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and there was non-significant interaction between treatments and depths. The topsoil layer (0\u0026ndash;15 cm) had higher available P (30.32 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) compared to lower depths and the series follows: D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (21.85 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;D\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (15.18 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;D\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (14.39 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e). The mean effect of treatments on the available K was considerably higher in the T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e treatment (195.3 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) compared to T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (186.7 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (168.2 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e). Organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) and INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) practice improves available K content by 16.11% and 11% compared to conventional system (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e). The highest available K (199.9 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) was recorded in the D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (0\u0026ndash;15 cm) while, corresponding values were 12.8%, 18.6% and 26% lower in D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (15\u0026ndash;30 cm), D\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (30\u0026ndash;45 cm) and D\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (45\u0026ndash;60 cm), respectively. Exchangeable calcium (Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e) content (4.26 cmol (p\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) was 13.3% and 10.5% higher in T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e compared to the T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, respectively. Maximum amount of exchangeable Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e was found in D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (4.30 cmol (p\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), and it declined gradually as soil depth increased. Within the topsoil (D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: 0\u0026ndash;15 cm) and subsoil layer (D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 15\u0026ndash;30 cm), T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e recorded 35.4% and 11.1% higher exchangeable Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e compared to conventional system (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e), respectively. However, the mean value of Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e followed completely opposite trend as values were comparatively higher in the lower depths in lieu with the surface soil layers. The available sulphur (S) content varies considerably between the treatments and depths however, the interaction between two was non-significant (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The control plots (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e) had a higher available S content (33.70 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) compared to other treatments. The available S content also reduces over the depths as experimental finding showed compared to D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (36.09 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) the value decreased by ~\u0026thinsp;13 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e in D\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoil chemical properties at different soil depths in the post-harvest soils of Maize (2022-23)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"10\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eElectrical conductivity (dSm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoil organic C (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable N\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable P\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable K\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExchangeable Ca (cmol(p\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e soil)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExchangeable Mg (cmol(p\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e soil)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable S\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.29\u003csup\u003eb#\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.65\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.36\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e177.6\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.97\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e134.9\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.53\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.27\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.70\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.09\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.39\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e219.0\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.42\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e168.2\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.69\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.49\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.57\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.57\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.65\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.43\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e204.7\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.93\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e195.3\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.26\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.48\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.94\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.37\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.68\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.40\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e209.4\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.42\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e186.7\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.81\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.45\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.47\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(P\u0026thinsp;\u003cspan type=\"Underline\" class=\"Underline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e\u0026le;\u003c/span\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.118\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.027\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.735\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.497\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.173\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.550\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDepth of soil layers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eD\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.83\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.71\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.56\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e203.5\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.32\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e199.9\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.30\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.33\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.75\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eD\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.40\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.66\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.35\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e221.7\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.85\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e174.4\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.91\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.40\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.64\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eD\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.06\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.60\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.34\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e196.1\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.18\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e162.8\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.63\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.45\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.15\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eD\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.04\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.63\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.31\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e189.5\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.39\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e148.0\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.44\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.51\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.35\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(P\u0026thinsp;\u003cspan type=\"Underline\" class=\"Underline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e\u0026le;\u003c/span\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.118\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.069\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.027\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.735\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.497\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.173\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.550\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eInteraction between treatments and depths\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003eD\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.78\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.44\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e159.7\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e146.9\u003csup\u003efg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" 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colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.58\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.32ef\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e189.1\u003csup\u003edef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e165.7\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.45\u003csup\u003eef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003eD\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.57\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e220.5\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e223.8\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.16\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003eD\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.43\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.35\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e219.5\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e189.9\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.92\u003csup\u003ebcde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003eD\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.03\u003csup\u003eefg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.55\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.33\u003csup\u003eef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e202.0\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e173.0\u003csup\u003ede\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.83\u003csup\u003ebcde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003eD\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.02\u003csup\u003eefg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.33\u003csup\u003eef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e195.6\u003csup\u003ecde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.74\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e160.0\u003csup\u003eef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.34\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLSD\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(P\u0026thinsp;\u003cspan type=\"Underline\" class=\"Underline\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003e\u0026le;\u003c/span\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.118\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.055\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.994\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.346\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"10\"\u003eT\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: N0P0K0 (Control); T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as inorganic; T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: 100% RDF as organic; T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: 50% RDF as inorganic\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;50% RDF as organic. D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e: 0\u0026ndash;15 cm depth; D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e: 15\u0026ndash;30 cm depth; D\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e: 30\u0026ndash;45 cm depth; D\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: 45\u0026ndash;60 cm depth. Within a column, values indicated by the same letters are not significantly different at the 0.05 level of probability by Duncan\u0026rsquo;s multiple range test (DMRT) #Values followed by different upper case letters (a-i) are significantly different between treatments at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorrelation coefficients between different soil chemical properties under organic, inorganic and INM farming practices in 0\u0026ndash;15 cm and 15\u0026ndash;30 cm depth soil layer\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"10\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTop soil layer (0\u0026ndash;15 cm)-A\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSOC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlK\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExCa\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExMg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.024\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.618\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.222\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.023\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.047\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.440\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.205\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.387\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.793\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlK\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.447\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.062\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.750\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.748\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.567\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExCa\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.645\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.034\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.833\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.334\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.256\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.737\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExMg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.015\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.058\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.567\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.770\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.615\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.774\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.529\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.013\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.391\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.205\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.408\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.131\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.452\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.236\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.033\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYield\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.174\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.247\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.299\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.867\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.634\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.613\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.146\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.701\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.482\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"10\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSub soil layer (15\u0026ndash;30 cm)- B\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.341\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.065\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.008\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.511\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.395\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.259\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.004\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.452\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.288\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.570\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlK\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.505\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.189\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.369\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.369\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.764\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExCa\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.351\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.292\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.343\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.330\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.463\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.631\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExMg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.100\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.137\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.578\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.679\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.438\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.695\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.414\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvlS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.104\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.386\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.617\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.353\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.385\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.016\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.663\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYield\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.196\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.263\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.410\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.743\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.662\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.584\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.347\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.680\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-0.659\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"10\"\u003e*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level; **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level Abbreviations of components (EC: Electrical conductivity; SOC: Soil organic carbon; AvlN: Available Nitrogen, AvlP: Available Phosphorus, AvlK: Available Potassium, ExCa: Exchangeable Calcium, ExMg: Exchangeable Magnesium, AvlS: Available Sulphur, Y: Yield)\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.2. Yield, water productivity and root volume\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaximum cob yield found in the inorganic (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) (11.02 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) followed by INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) (10.26 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) (7.57 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), though there was no significant variation in between T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA). In the point of water productivity, there was significant statistical difference between the inorganic (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e), organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) and INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) with maximum recorded value in in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (1.95 kg/m\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA). Plants grown in inorganic treatment shows higher root volume (76.1 cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e/plant) followed by INM (56.3 cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e/plant) and organic treatment (43.3 cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e/plant) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eB).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.3. Dynamics of mineral nitrogen (N)\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB temporal variation of mineral N under maize has been illustrated in the D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (0\u0026ndash;15 cm) and D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (15\u0026ndash;30 cm) respectively. As data revealed, content of mineral N was slightly lower (123.3 ppm) in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (inorganic fertilizer) due to split application of synthetic N (urea) but in subsequent phases it follows similar trend like T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA). Although, mineral N levels were initially similar in subsoil and surface layer but more gradual decline can be noticed in the later (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB) suggesting N leaching from the topsoil to the subsoil over time, especially in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (inorganic) and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM). After 10th week, T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e became statistically at par but, releases of N was much gradual in T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (Organic) and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) rather than a sharp drop (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB). Nonetheless, highest N availability was recorded in T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) during sowing by 135 ppm and 143 ppm in D\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e and D\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.4. Dynamics of soil microbial activity\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDehydrogenase (DHA) activity in the top soil layer (0\u0026ndash;15 cm) increases from September to October, reaches a peak in November, and then declines in December and January (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA). While, in T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (organic) maximum DHA could be visible in November (78.8 \u0026micro;g TPF g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and maintains the same trend throughout the study (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA). T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (inorganic) exhibits a sharp rise in DHA up to October, peaks in December (58.7 \u0026micro;g TPF g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), and then declines as inorganic fertilizers stimulate microbial activity early, but their effect was not sustained. Throughout the study period, DHA activity was found in the order of: organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;integrated (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;inorganic (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e). Similar to DHA, T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (control) shows the lowest MBC values throughout the period (in between 20.7 and 52.8 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eB). Among all the treatments, T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (organic) has the maximum recorded MBC across all time periods, with highest value of 246 mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (in September). The values of MBC in the T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) fall in between organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) and inorganic (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) with a relatively steady trend with slight dip in January (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eB). Higher MBC in INM by 11.7%, 35.5% and 33.6% compared to T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e in November, December and January, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.1. Effect on soil chemical properties\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe higher pH observed in the organic treatment followed by INM can be explained by the buffering nature of organic matter and Al\u003csup\u003e3+\u003c/sup\u003e adsorption even in very acidic forest soils (pH 4.2) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Previous studies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e] also emphasized the negative impact between soil pH and continuous synthetic fertiliser application. Subsoil acidity in \u003cem\u003eAlfisol\u003c/em\u003e might be another reason behind pH decline with increasing profile depth [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. Evaporation of water in the top soil layer and migration of salts from the underlying layers might have surged EC in the 0\u0026ndash;15 cm layer. Evaporation and intermittent irrigation plays pivotal role in transporting salts from wet zones to the surface, causing higher solute concentration near the surface [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. Higher organic carbon in surface layers can be explained by the rapid decomposition of litter mediated by higher microbial activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. Increasing nutrient supplies in the soil may also decrease root length but increase root weight in a quadratic fashion. Reports suggest, moderate N fertilization rate (240 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) increased root length, root surface area, and root biomass in most soil layers under cotton [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2. Effect on soil fertility\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.1. Primary elements\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable N was more in plants supplied with synthetic N sources than grown in organic [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. Inorganic nitrogen sources are easily available to plants whereas organic sources increases the chance of immobilization. External organic matter addition promotes P mobility vis-\u0026agrave;-vis plant uptake and decreases sesquioxides mediated P fixation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. Lower P availability in sub-surface layers was due to-i. lower SOC in the lower depths ii. fixation of P by the sesquioxides (Fe/Al oxides and hydroxides) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. Formation of bi-dentate P-complex by sesquioxides might have reduced the P-availability which was a typical phenomenon under acidic Alfisol which as it can goes up to 50% of the total P-adsorbed [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. The decrement of available K with depth due to the higher K-leaching multiplied by poor SOC which help in K-retention. Furthermore, the decreased soil pH in the subsoil layer increased the K mobility via promoting acid leaching compared to the topsoil [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. The higher available K in organic and INM can be explained as organic matter significantly increased the initial fast rate of K adsorption and has more readily accessible adsorption sites for K compared to the mineral component of the soil [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. The availability of K was increased through progressive mineralization of organic materials, which improve K availability to plants [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Organic acids (humic and fulvic) from organic fertilizer and their breakdown caused some potassium-containing soil minerals to dissolve [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.2. Secondary elements\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe highest exchangeable calcium was observed in T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e as organic matter makes a strong bond with the divalent cations, thus decreases the mobility, and reduces the leaching potential of Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. At various pH levels, the organic matter displays more stable aggregation with Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e] which could be reflected with differential content of Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e with soil depths. Additionally, vermicompost has a substantial amount of Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e (20\u0026ndash;70 milli-equivalent 100g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), which significantly increased the soil available Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e pool [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. Generally, nitrate-N and Ca\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e leaching increased with the increasing rate of N fertilization especially under acidic conditions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, higher application of inorganic nitrogen aggravates the cacium leaching from the soil profile. The lower pH values of the subsoil layer further infuriated the situation and promote rapid calcium leaching. Exchangeable Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e content was not appreciably different in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e. The higher ex-Mg in the organic and INM compared to control was due to (i). supply of Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e from vermicompost (ii). application of vermicompost improves root-secretions which augment Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e availability (iii) Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e forms stable complexes with organic matter [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. The lower available S in all nutrient management plots compared to control as the later extracted more S from soil [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, it was discovered that the amount of accessible S decreased as soil depth increased and SOC reduces in lower depth [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.3. Effect on yield, water productivity and root volume of maize\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe maximum cob yield noticed in inorganic and INM could be explained by the rapid nutrient availability in the chemically fertilised plots which allow crops to uptake essential nutrients especially in the critical growth stages like early vegetative growth and cob formation. As, organic materials causes temporarily nutrient immobilization, which affects the productivity and on contrary nutrients become available only after microbial breakdown, which may not align with the crop's growth cycle. Whereas in INM, the balanced nutrient supply increases crop yield and became at par with 100% chemically fertilised plots [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e]. Organic alone, although ecologically sound, may not meet yield targets due to slow nutrient mineralization and temporary immobilization. The highest water productivity in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e can be explained as the prompt availability of nutrients helps in better water utilization Inorganic fertilizers have an immediate impact on plant growth unlike organic fertilizers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e]. Though, there was no statistically significant variation in between the inorganic and INM. Studies show that organic and INM practices improve soil health over long duration of time, inorganic treatments can temporarily enhance soil properties like water-holding [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e]. The higher root volume observed in the inorganic followed by INM as inorganic treatments provide nutrients that are quickly accessible and encourages plant roots to expand and penetrate deeper layers of the soil profile in search of nutrients [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.4. Temporal variation of mineral nitrogen in soil\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the early growth phase (2\u0026ndash;6 weeks), T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e show a gradual decrease in KCl extractable N, while, T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e sustained higher N content (110.8 ppm in 6th week) in the subsequent phases highlighting better N-release from vermi-compost boosting overall plant growth and nutrient uptake [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e]. In the mid-growth phase (6\u0026ndash;10 weeks), T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (Inorganic) shows a declining trend as synthetic N sources are quickly utilized or leached [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e]. In the later growth phase (14\u0026ndash;18 weeks) all treatments show a steady decline as crop uptake increases and N reserves deplete. However, T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e still maintains the higher mineral N levels than T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, reinforcing that INM could provide sustained N-availability. Experimental findings showed, T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e shows high initial available N due to rapid dissolution and sharp decline after 2nd week as N-gets leached to the deeper layers or up taken by crop. Dynamics of N in the top soil was more variable, responds quickly to fertilization and depletion, while subsoil N was more stable but still declines over time [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e]. In nutshell, INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) is the most effective and it maintains the best N balance over time in both layers throughout maize growth while inorganic fertilization (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) provide an initial N boost but decline comparatively faster due to leaching and plant uptake over T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.5. Temporal variation of microbial activity\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe increasing trend of DHA activity during September to November and followed by a decrement suggests that microbial activity is highest during the early to mid-growth stages of \u003cem\u003erabi\u003c/em\u003e maize and declines as the crop mature as it coincides with optimal conditions for growth and nutrient availability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e]. T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (control) shows the lowest DHA activity (in between 18.6 to 33.6 \u0026micro;g TPF g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) throughout the maize-growing period indicates poor microbial activity due to nutrient deficiency. Highest DHA value (67.17 \u0026micro;g TPF g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) was witnessed in T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) during October pointing towards integrated practices can boost microbial activity and function by maximizing nutrient supply [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e]. Elevated DHA activity in T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e implies that organic matter addition increases microbial biomass and function. Irrespective of treatment, decline in DHA as well as MBC in December and January could be attributed to depletion of available nutrients in later growth stages, lower soil temperatures and in minimal secretion of rhizodeposits in maturity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was noticed that, T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (inorganic) has relatively high MBC initially, but it declines over time, especially after November suggesting that inorganic fertilizers alone may not sustain microbial biomass due to negative impact on SOC and accelerate soil acidification [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e]. Organic treatment recorded the highest amount of MBC addition as organic matter revamped microbial activity and biomass via supplying key nutrients and protecting from abrupt climatic events [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e]. Higher MBC recorded in INM compared to inorganic, directly established a strong connection between soil health and microbial biomass through the provision of a diverse nutrient background [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e]. The T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (organic) and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) treatments exhibit a rise in MBC during November, indicating improved microbial activity as a result of organic matter mineralization and nutrient supply.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.6. Correlation study and principal component analysis (PCA)\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eStrong positive correlation between soil pH and other parameters like OC (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.618), available K (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.447) and available Ca (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.645) can be recorded in 0\u0026ndash;15 cm layer (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA) (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). In soil higher calcium carbonate content often raises soil pH and in general K-availability was predominantly higher in the neutral pH [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e60\u003c/span\u003e]. A strong positive correlation (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.750) suggests that organic matter improves K retention, possibly by enhancing cation exchange capacity (CEC) and release of K by decomposition of OM [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e]. Available K and exchangeable Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e also play crucial roles in crop productivity (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.613 and 0.701, respectively at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) as Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e is an important factor in plant nutrition, possibly due to its role in chlorophyll production and enzyme activation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e62\u003c/span\u003e]. Available P shows substantial correlations with other available nutrients like available K (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.567 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) and N (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.793 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) supporting the idea of balanced nutrient management in soil systems to optimize plant productivity (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA). Also, similarly exchangeable Mg\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e correlates positively with available N (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.770 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), available P (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.615 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), and available K (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.774 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) in the 0\u0026ndash;15 cm layer (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA). This shows magnesium cycling in the soil could promote overall nutrient dynamics, positively impacting N, P and K availability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e]. A significant negative correlation (-0.482 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) suggests that excessive S may reduce crop productivity, possibly due to soil acidification or antagonistic effects on other nutrients particularly in the 0\u0026ndash;15 cm (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the subsoil, positive correlation (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.505 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between available K and soil pH suggests K availability increases with higher pH. Also, negative correlation between soil pH and available N indicates (r=-0.511 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) with rise in pH, reduced microbial activity during N mineralization resulted poor N availability (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB). Negative correlation between SOC and yield in the sub-surface depth (15\u0026ndash;30 cm) indicate that the subsoil organic matter does not contribute to yield as this organic fraction not easy to decompose compared to the top soil organic matter. The highest positive correlation among maize productivity and available N (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.743 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), available P (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.662 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) confirmed N and P availability is the most critical factor for improving yield [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e64\u003c/span\u003e] (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB). Similar to top layer, available S has a strong negative correlation (-0.659 at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) with yield, suggesting its excessive accumulation in deeper layers may be harmful (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrincipal component analysis (PCA) showed parameters like available N, available P and yield are closely interlinked particularly in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eA). Also, it can be apprehended that available S was negatively correlated with other essential nutrients (N, P and K) as well as with yield in the 0\u0026ndash;15 cm layer. Productivity of maize in the surface layer (0\u0026ndash;15 cm) was strongly interlinked with available N, P and exchangeable magnesium and productivity levels in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e were at par. In the sub-surface layer (15\u0026ndash;30 cm) available P and K were closely associated as visible in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB. Similar to surface layer, the interaction between yield and parameters like pH, available S and OC were distantly related as addition of organic matter revamped microbial activity and biomass via supplying key nutrients and protecting from abrupt climatic events [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eInclusion of vermicompost along with sub-optimal synthetic fertiliser have influential impact on maize productivity, soil bio-chemical activity and dynamics of mineral N under long term acidic Alfisol. After 7 crop cycles, cob yield of maize was highest in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (100% RDF through synthetics) (11.02 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and at par with T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM). Among available nutrients, N (219 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and P (22.42 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) were significantly higher in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e whereas, available K (195.3 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and exchangeable Ca (4.26 cmol(p\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e soil) was recorded maximum in T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e. Irrespective of depth, mineral N did not vary significantly between the treatments except T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e. Microbial activity (MBC and dehydrogenase) was significantly higher in T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e compared to others throughout the experimental period due to availability of organic carbon, nutrients and better soil health. Furthermore, correlation study and principal component analysis study showed strong positive interlinkage between grain yield with available N, P and K but, excess sulphur could have deleterious effect. So, from this study it is clear that inorganic sources can promptly supply nutrients to plant and increases the available N, crop yield, root growth and water productivity, whereas organic sources helps in stabilizing cation, increases soil microbial activity. Thus, it can be concluded that T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (100% RDF) and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (Integrated nutrient management) are identical concerning crop performance and soil fertility but as a sustainable practice INM could be promoted in EPHR which must be validated by further field experimentation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first author is highly thankful to ICAR for providing junior research fellowship as a financial support. Also, grateful to the scientist and staffs of ICAR-FSRCHPR, Ranchi.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor\u0026rsquo;s contribution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSS: investigation, formal Analysis, writing and editing of the original draft. SKN: Conceptualization, methodology, supervision, investigation, methodology and review of original draft. TJP: supervision, review of original draft. AD: review of original draft. SSM: supervision.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Authors did not receive financial support from any organization for this research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisclosure Statement\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no potential conflict of interest.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics declaration:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe collection and use of plant materials in this study complied with all relevant institutional, national, and international guidelines and legislation. Maize (Zea mays L.) seeds used in the experiment were procured from the ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi, India. The plant materials were cultivated at the experimental farm of ICAR FSCHPR-RCER, Ranchi, Jharkhand. No wild plant specimens were collected, and therefore, no permissions or licenses were required.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Publish declaration:\u003c/strong\u003e not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Participate declaration:\u003c/strong\u003e not applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial:\u003c/strong\u003e We have not carried out any clinical trial.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNaik S K, Shinde R, Das A. Soil Health Management for Sustainable Agri-Food System in Eastern Plateau and Hill Region of India. 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Agric Res. 2024 :1-3. \u003cu\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s40003-024-00734-6\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRai AK, Basak N, Dixit AK, Rai SK, Das SK, Singh JB, et al. Changes in soil microbial biomass and organic C pools improve the sustainability of perennial grass and legume system under organic nutrient management. Front Microbiol. 2023; 14:1173986. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1173986\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCanakci H, Sidik W, Kilic I H. Effect of bacterial calcium carbonate precipitation on compressibility and shear strength of organic soil. Soils Found. 2015; 55 (5): 1211-1221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2015.09.020\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eElnour AM, Taşkin MB, Ok SS. Comparative Effect of Different Combinations of Animal Manures and Humic acid on selected soil biochemical properties. 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Int J Plant Prod. 2015;9(3):433-66. \u003cu\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.22069/IJPP.2015.2225\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-soil","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Soil](https://link.springer.com/journal/44378)","snPcode":"44378","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44378/3","title":"Discover Soil","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Alfisol, Dehydrogenase, Eastern-Plateau and Hilly region, Integrated nutrient management, Productivity, Vermicompost","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6864333/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6864333/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe impact of continuous chemical fertilisation on soil health and crop productivity was acutely dangerous especially in Eastern-Plateau and Hilly region of Jharkhand. Hence, an endeavour has attempted to assess the long run (7 years) nutrient management practices [control (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e), inorganic (T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e), organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) and INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e)] on soil properties and crop productivity under maize-based cropping system in an acidic Alfisol. Data revealed, T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e recorded highest cob yield (11.02 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and water productivity (1.95 kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/sup\u003e), but at par with INM. Available N in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e was 5% higher than T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (100% organic) but, both T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) were statistically at par whereas, in 15\u0026ndash;30 cm available N in T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e was 13.7% and 14.22% higher than T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, respectively. Organic (T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) and INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) improve available K by 16.11% and 11% compared to T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e. The temporal variation of mineral N within topsoil (0\u0026ndash;15 cm) and subsoil layer (15\u0026ndash;30 cm) shows INM (T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) was the most effective as it sustains N balance over time in both layers throughout maize growth. Correlation analysis highlighted that available N, P, and K in the top soil was positively interlinked with yield but not sulphur. Temporal variation of MBC (Microbial Biomass Carbon) and dehydrogenase activity shows, T\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (INM) was relatively consistent than T\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and T\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, with synergistic effect on microbial health. In nutshell it could be apprehended that, INM improved overall soil fertility and sustainability by maintaining optimum available nutrient content among all nutrient management options and increase soil sustainability.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Integrated nutrient management under long run augments maize productivity, nitrogen cycling and microbial activity under acidic Alfisol in Eastern India","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-15 14:09:25","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6864333/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-10-09T09:48:54+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-10-08T06:59:06+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"147579183012578719242310396475374838415","date":"2025-09-22T11:15:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-09T04:23:22+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"277752216580902187082008480191621056488","date":"2025-08-01T01:18:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"46045589460180584166658304776467964395","date":"2025-07-31T18:35:51+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"29541499417525094383949567931322073730","date":"2025-07-17T01:25:29+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-15T07:05:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"207049248976810676859078952219278888077","date":"2025-07-15T07:00:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"274675706428946241305164981803671151600","date":"2025-07-12T02:18:50+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-11T18:03:00+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-25T16:54:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-06-22T15:44:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Soil","date":"2025-06-22T15:39:00+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-soil","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Soil](https://link.springer.com/journal/44378)","snPcode":"44378","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44378/3","title":"Discover Soil","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"95861b4b-5479-4349-ae26-cf70bf1b802a","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 15th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-09T07:23:42+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-15 14:09:25","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6864333","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6864333","identity":"rs-6864333","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}