Optimizing tillage schedule for maintaining activity of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal population in a rainfed upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) agro-ecosystem.
Rainfed uplands in India are predominantly mono-cropped with rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the wet season (June/July to September/October) and grown under aerobic soil conditions. The remaining fallow period (winter followed by summer) of about 8-9 months leads to natural crash in the population of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the soil. Attempts have been made to minimize this population crash by reducing soil disturbance-induced deleterious effects on native AMF activity of improperly scheduled off-season tillage, an agronomic recommendation for weed and disease (soil-borne) management, practiced by the upland farmers. On-farm (farmers' field) evaluation of effects of all suitable off-season tillage schedule combinations on rice during wet seasons of 2004, 2005, and 2006 revealed that a maximum of two off-season tillage schedules with a minimum gap of 13 weeks between them minimized the population crash of native AMF with a concomitant increase in phosphorus (P) uptake and grain yield of upland rice (variety "Vandana").
Maiti
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Central Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station (Central Rice Research Institute), PB 48, Hazaribag 825 301, Jharkhand, India. dipankar_maiti@live.in
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Singh
R K
RK
D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology*; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000502:physiology*; D012275:Oryza / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D010758:Phosphorus