Effect of diverse crop establishment techniques and weed management approaches in rice-chickpea cropping systems on soil attributes

Modern agricultural systems demand an integrative approach to address the challenges of food security, resource conservation and sustainability. Balancing the demands for increased food production with the imperative to conserve vital resources has never been more pressing. This study investigates the dynamic interplay between crop establishment methods and weed management practices in the cultivation of Kharif rice followed by chickpea in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Various properties of soil physio-chemical and biological were significantly influenced by different crop establishment methods and weed management practices in the rice-chickpea cropping system. Physical properties like bulk and particle density were reported the highest in transplanted under puddled treatment after harvest of rice (1.44 Mg m^{- 3} and 2.53 Mg m^{- 3}) and chickpea (1.46 Mg m^{- 3} and 2.54 Mg m^{- 3}) while the MWHC was maximum (56%) in unpuddled soils than in puddled soils. Various chemical properties like OC reported the highest in transplanted under unpuddled after harvest of rice (5.19 g kg^{- 1}) and after harvest of chickpea (5.23 g kg^{- 1}) found maximum in Wet-DSR under unpuddled. Other properties like available N, P and K recorded the maximum values in unpuddled Wet-DSR. After each crop harvest, microbial population and biomass of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and the activity of enzymes like dehydrogenase, urease and phosphatase recorded the highest in unpuddled Wet-DSR treatment. Among weed management practices, MWHC, all chemical and biological properties reported the maximum in intercropping with Sesbania for after harvest of rice while in case of after chickpea harvest, found in mulching with paddy straw.The bulk and particle density reported maximum in weed-free plots after each crop harvest.