Soil Property Modulation via Nutrient Inputs in Barley–Sorghum Forage Systems

A field experiment was carried out during the rabi and kharif seasons of 2021–22 and 2022–23 at the Agricultural Research Farm of R.B.S. College, Bichpuri, Agra, to evaluate the impact of various nutrient management practices on soil properties in a barley–fodder sorghum crop sequence. The experiment followed a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications and twelve treatment combinations: T1 (Control), T2 (N60), T3 (N120), T4 (N60P30), T5 (N120P60), T6 (N60P30K30), T7 (N120P60K60), T8 (N60P30K30Zn5), T9 (N120P60K60Zn5), T10 (N60P30K30S20), T11 (N120P60K60S20), and T12 (N60P30K30VC5). The findings revealed that soil organic carbon content was significantly enhanced with the application of treatment T12, which included 60 kg N, 30 kg P₂O₅, 30 kg K₂O, and 5 tonnes of vermicompost per hectare, recording an organic carbon level of 4.92 g kg⁻¹ compared to 3.98 g kg⁻¹ in the control. Moreover, treatment T9 (120 kg N + 60 kg P₂O₅ + 60 kg K₂O + 5 kg Zn ha⁻¹) significantly increased the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and zinc in the soil compared to the untreated control. These results highlight the positive influence of integrated nutrient management, particularly with the inclusion of micronutrients and organic amendments, on improving soil fertility in a sequential barley–fodder sorghum cropping system.