Effect of integrated nutrient management on soil microbial and enzymatic activity

A study was carried out to assess the Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on soil microbial and enzymatic activity in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) at the College Farm, SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India. The experiment was laid out in Split plot design with three main plot treatments based on Soil application: M1: RDF 100% (40:20:0 NPK kg/ha), M2: RDF 50%, M3: Farmyard manure 12.5 t/ha and four subplots based on foliar application: S1: Soil Application of TNAU Micro Nutrient Mixture 12.5 kg/ha, S2: 0.5% Foliar Spray of FeSO4 + 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.2% Borax, S3: Panchagavya 3%, S4: Jeevamirtham 3%, with triplicates. The amount of organic carbon, microbial population (bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes) and Soil enzymatic activity (dehydrogenase activity, urease activity and acid phosphate enzyme) were evaluated. The treatment M3S4 recorded significantly higher soil organic carbon (0.48%), bacterial population (292.41 x 106 cfu/g of soil), actinomycetes population (74.20 x 102 cfu/g of soil), fungal population (40.25 x 104 cfu/g of soil), dehydrogenase activity (218.60 µg TPF g/soil/h), urease activity (229.50 µg TPF g/soil/h) and acid phosphatase activity (53.65 PNP/g/soil/h) respectively. These findings suggest that organic farming practices are beneficial for maintaining soil biodiversity and sustainability.