Potential Impacts of Green Manure Incorporation on Soil Fertility Enhancement and Rice Yield

Abstract

Soil green manure amendment is a potential agricultural practice for soil fertility management and conservation of ecosystem. Common green manure plants such as sunn hemp, dhaincha and pulses have different nature and ability to contribute essential nutrients for plant growth and carbon sequestration.  Those plants are ultimately serving as a supplement or replacement for chemical fertilizers. Producing of nutrients from green manure amendment by decomposition and mineralization processes is influenced by quantity & quality of green manure and soil properties. Therefore, management of green manure to be efficient and synchronize crop demands is essential. Management on days to harvest, incorporation days into soil and amount of green manure is based on its C/N ratio and biomass obtained which are changing with the age. Rice is major crop and ultimately producing in topical Asia and the it is increasing to meet the demands of increasing population. The study focused on green manure amendment and its impact on rice yield. Incorporation of green manure enhances nitrogen and carbon balance in the soil while decreasing the need for chemical fertilizer applications, ensuring to improve rice yields. Rice yield by the application of only green manure 20 ton/ha application was 90% higher than that without nutrient application.  Then, combine application of sunn hemp and chemical nitrogen fertilizer increases rice yield 8-17% than the only chemical nitrogen fertilizer. By combination of green manure 20 ton/ha and chemical N fertilizer 60 kg/ha produced higher yield than only double chemical N fertilizer rate of 120 kg/ha. Similarly, the synergistic effect of organic compost and green manure significantly increased the benefits of green manure alone. In terms of soil fertility, green manure amendment provides plant essential nutrients and improve physical and biological properties as well. Therefore, the practice of green manuring shows promising potential for positively influencing soil health, thereby contributing to the sustainability of crop yields.