Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management
Efficient nitrogen management is crucial for sustaining soil health, optimizing yields, and ensuring the long-term viability of organic farming systems. A cereal-legume cropping system is widely recognized for improving nutrient cycling and ecosystem services. This study investigates the impact of t...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| author | Sanjeev Kumar Santosh Onte Santosh Onte Yogananda Shivalli Boregowda Airadevi P. Angadi Prasanna S. Pyati K. Naveena Kamal Garg Vijendra Kumar Meena Ramesh Chandra Babu Lal Meena Marthala Bhuvaneswar Reddy Sanjivkumar Angadarao Kochewad Sudhir Kumar Hari Om Vetrivel Karunakaran Sunil Chandersheker Elisa Azura Azman Sabyasachi Mukherjee Mohammad Hashim Ramkishan Meena |
| author_facet | Sanjeev Kumar Santosh Onte Santosh Onte Yogananda Shivalli Boregowda Airadevi P. Angadi Prasanna S. Pyati K. Naveena Kamal Garg Vijendra Kumar Meena Ramesh Chandra Babu Lal Meena Marthala Bhuvaneswar Reddy Sanjivkumar Angadarao Kochewad Sudhir Kumar Hari Om Vetrivel Karunakaran Sunil Chandersheker Elisa Azura Azman Sabyasachi Mukherjee Mohammad Hashim Ramkishan Meena |
| author_sort | Sanjeev Kumar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Efficient nitrogen management is crucial for sustaining soil health, optimizing yields, and ensuring the long-term viability of organic farming systems. A cereal-legume cropping system is widely recognized for improving nutrient cycling and ecosystem services. This study investigates the impact of these treatments on soil quality, energy fractions, and yield of fodder maize-berseem-cowpea under organic farming with a focus on enhancing ecosystem services and supporting agroecological principles. A three-year field experiment (2018–19 to 2020–21) was conducted with maize (M) - berseem (B) - cowpea (C) cropping system laid in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and seven treatments. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of sustainable agriculture and integrated nutrient management, treatment T7, (Farmyard manure (FYM) + Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (M) - PGPR + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (B) - PGPR + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (C), resulted in significant improvements in soil organic carbon (4.0–15.2%), soil organic matter content (3.8–14.7%), available nutrients (10.7–36.6%), microbial population (54.8–119.3%), and soil enzymatic activities (103.0–187.2%). Additionally, energy fractions and TDCP content showed positive trends. Yield penalties in maize declined from 11.9 to 8.09% over 3 years; berseem showed a 2.5% initial reduction but improved in subsequent years, while cowpea consistently exhibited slight yield gains. Compared to treatment T1 (100% chemical fertilizers), treatment T7 enhanced soil health and nutrient cycling with only a slight reduction in system productivity (4.3 to 7.0%), demonstrating the long-term benefits of organic inputs. This study highlights the importance of integrated nitrogen management in organic systems, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers while enhancing ecological sustainability. It offers a practical approach to improving soil resilience, boosting energy efficiency, and supporting sustainable development goals—providing valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners pursuing environmentally responsible agricultural practices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9df8f0e97bb24bb9abc9e5efc4d2d9c8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-9df8f0e97bb24bb9abc9e5efc4d2d9c82025-08-20T03:18:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-06-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.15649451564945Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen managementSanjeev Kumar0Santosh Onte1Santosh Onte2Yogananda Shivalli Boregowda3Airadevi P. Angadi4Prasanna S. Pyati5K. Naveena6Kamal Garg7Vijendra Kumar Meena8Ramesh Chandra9Babu Lal Meena10Marthala Bhuvaneswar Reddy11Sanjivkumar Angadarao Kochewad12Sudhir Kumar13Hari Om14Vetrivel Karunakaran15Sunil Chandersheker16Elisa Azura Azman17Sabyasachi Mukherjee18Mohammad Hashim19Ramkishan Meena20ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, IndiaICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, University Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, IndiaCentre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Calicut, IndiaCollege of Agriculture, VC Farm, Mandya, IndiaICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, University Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, IndiaTocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, IndiaCentre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Calicut, IndiaICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, IndiaICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, IndiaICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, IndiaICAR- Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, IndiaAnimal Nutrition Division, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, IndiaICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati, IndiaICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India0Department of Agronomy, Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur, India1ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Thiruvarur, India2Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, India3Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Crop Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India4ICAR- Indian Institute of Pulses Research Kanpur, Kanpur, India5College of Agriculture Ummedganj-Kota, Agriculture University, Kota, IndiaEfficient nitrogen management is crucial for sustaining soil health, optimizing yields, and ensuring the long-term viability of organic farming systems. A cereal-legume cropping system is widely recognized for improving nutrient cycling and ecosystem services. This study investigates the impact of these treatments on soil quality, energy fractions, and yield of fodder maize-berseem-cowpea under organic farming with a focus on enhancing ecosystem services and supporting agroecological principles. A three-year field experiment (2018–19 to 2020–21) was conducted with maize (M) - berseem (B) - cowpea (C) cropping system laid in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and seven treatments. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of sustainable agriculture and integrated nutrient management, treatment T7, (Farmyard manure (FYM) + Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (M) - PGPR + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (B) - PGPR + 3% foliar spray of panchagavya (C), resulted in significant improvements in soil organic carbon (4.0–15.2%), soil organic matter content (3.8–14.7%), available nutrients (10.7–36.6%), microbial population (54.8–119.3%), and soil enzymatic activities (103.0–187.2%). Additionally, energy fractions and TDCP content showed positive trends. Yield penalties in maize declined from 11.9 to 8.09% over 3 years; berseem showed a 2.5% initial reduction but improved in subsequent years, while cowpea consistently exhibited slight yield gains. Compared to treatment T1 (100% chemical fertilizers), treatment T7 enhanced soil health and nutrient cycling with only a slight reduction in system productivity (4.3 to 7.0%), demonstrating the long-term benefits of organic inputs. This study highlights the importance of integrated nitrogen management in organic systems, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers while enhancing ecological sustainability. It offers a practical approach to improving soil resilience, boosting energy efficiency, and supporting sustainable development goals—providing valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners pursuing environmentally responsible agricultural practices.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1564945/fullenergy fractionsfodder yieldnutrient availabilitysoil enzymatic activitiessoil organic carbon |
| spellingShingle | Sanjeev Kumar Santosh Onte Santosh Onte Yogananda Shivalli Boregowda Airadevi P. Angadi Prasanna S. Pyati K. Naveena Kamal Garg Vijendra Kumar Meena Ramesh Chandra Babu Lal Meena Marthala Bhuvaneswar Reddy Sanjivkumar Angadarao Kochewad Sudhir Kumar Hari Om Vetrivel Karunakaran Sunil Chandersheker Elisa Azura Azman Sabyasachi Mukherjee Mohammad Hashim Ramkishan Meena Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems energy fractions fodder yield nutrient availability soil enzymatic activities soil organic carbon |
| title | Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management |
| title_full | Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management |
| title_fullStr | Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management |
| title_full_unstemmed | Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management |
| title_short | Organic farming for a sustainable future: soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management |
| title_sort | organic farming for a sustainable future soil and yield improvement through integrated nitrogen management |
| topic | energy fractions fodder yield nutrient availability soil enzymatic activities soil organic carbon |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1564945/full |
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