Summary
This two-year randomised field trial under rainfed conditions examined whether natural farming practices could be enhanced through farmyard manure (FYM) integration in a maize–blackgram intercropping system. The study found that natural farming alone produced minimal improvements in soil physical, chemical and nutrient attributes compared to initial conditions; however, when augmented with 10 t FYM ha⁻¹ and 10% Jeevamrit applied every 15 days, significant improvements in bulk density, soil aggregate stability, hydraulic conductivity and plant-available water were achieved. Natural farming treatments substantially enhanced soil biological activity (microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase) relative to conventional fertiliser application, whereas conventional farming reduced soil organic carbon and available nitrogen.
UK applicability
The findings may have limited direct applicability to UK farming systems, which typically operate under different climatic conditions (temperate vs. rainfed tropical/subtropical), soil types, and regulatory frameworks for organic inputs. However, the mechanistic insights regarding FYM-integrated biological farming and its effects on soil structure and microbial activity could inform UK regenerative agriculture practices, particularly in regions adopting reduced-input or organic systems.
Key measures
Bulk density (Mg m⁻³), mean weight diameter of soil aggregates (mm), saturated hydraulic conductivity (cm h⁻¹), plant-available water (cm m⁻¹), soil organic carbon (g kg⁻¹), available nitrogen (kg ha⁻¹), microbial biomass carbon (%), dehydrogenase activity (%), maize and blackgram yields
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil physical properties (bulk density, aggregate stability, hydraulic conductivity, plant-available water), chemical attributes (organic carbon, available nitrogen), and biological activity (microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase) under maize–blackgram intercropping. Crop yields and soil quality indicators were assessed across natural farming treatments with varying farmyard manure inputs and Jeevamrit concentrations.
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