Effect of soil enrichment in conjunction with organics and chemical fertilizer on rice (Oryza sativa)-chickpea (Cicer arietinum) cropping system

A field experiment was undertaken at Raipur (M.P.) during wet and dry seaso ns of 1993-94 and 1994-95 to study the direct effect of urea-N with or with out organic materials (paddy straw, farmyard manure and green manure) on pr oductivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its residual effect on yield of ch ickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) grown after rice under rainfed low land vertiso l. Application of fertilized green manure as Sesbania rostrata proved super ior as compared to paddy straw and farmyard manure. Rice yield and N-uptake were significantly higher under combined application of green manure and u rea on an equivalent N basis. Thus, urea-N can be substituted up to 50% by applying Sesbania rostrata in rice. Residual fertility in terms of organic carbon was pronounced under farmyard manure and paddy straw which reflected in terms of higher grain yield of chickpea grown after harvest of wet seas on rice. Direct application of N up to the recommended level (20 kg N/ha) i ncreased the grain yield of chickpea considerably. However, N-use efficienc y decreased with the increasing levels of N from 0 to 20 kg N/Ha.