Characterization and Evaluation of Bio-inputs Used in Zero Budget Natural Farming in India
Sneha Karmakar
Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat – 785013, Assam, India.
Gayatri Goswami Kandali
*
Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat – 785013, Assam, India.
Binoy Kumar Medhi
Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat – 785013, Assam, India.
Manoj Kumar Chouhan
Directorate of Extension Education, College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat – 785013, Assam, India.
Anjan Krishna Sarmah
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat – 785013, Assam, India.
Kalyan Pathak
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat – 785013, Assam, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the chemical and biological properties of fermented bio-inputs and evaluate their effects when incubated with soil.
Study Design: The design used for this study was Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replications.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India.
Methodology: The standard preparations of bio-inputs (Ghanajeevamrit, Dravajeevamrit and Panchagavya) were prepared according to standard procedure along with their 15 and 30% reductions and were analysed periodically to see its peak period of nutrient release and microbial activity. An incubation study was also conducted with these bio-inputs taking ten treatments to observe their effect in the soil.
Results: The Ghanajeevamrit preparations recorded higher nutrient content and microbial activities compared to the Panchagavya and Dravajeevamrit preparations. The highest Organic Carbon (OC) % in Standard Ghanajeevamrit, Standard Dravajeevamrit and Standard Panchagavya were 2.36, 1.57 and 1.67% respectively. Standard Ghanajeevamrit was found to record the highest bacterial and fungal populations of 8.18 and 5.49 log cfu g-1 respectively on 9thday.Panchagavya showed better nutrient release when incubated with soil, compared to Ghanajeevamrit and Dravajeevamrit. The mean values of Soil OC, bacterial and fungal populations in Standard Panchagavya treatment (T8) were 0.85%, 6.76 log cfu g-1 and 5.39 log cfu g-1.
Conclusion: The highest nutrient concentration and microbial activities were observed in Ghanajeevamrit followed by Panchagavya and Dravajeevamrit, and the standard preparations were significantly more efficient than the reductions of these inputs. In the incubation study, Panchagavya treatments were more effective in terms of nutrient availability and microbial activities in soil. Therefore, these organic inputs can be fully utilized for promoting zero budget natural farming.
The increasing demand for organic nutrient management in agriculture has led to a gradual shift to the age old traditional farming practices. Keeping this in view, this study was conducted to provide some insight on the chemical and biological characteristics of the key inputs used in Zero Budget Natural Farming before they can be optimized for agricultural production.
Keywords: Panchagavya, Dravajeevamrit, Ghanajeevamrit, incubation, efficiency