| Abstrakt: |
Turmeric is a significant and widely grown spice crop in the western agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu, India. In recent decades, it is cultivated organically with different sources of nutrients. Unraveling the influence of different nutrient management regimes under long-term practice of organic farming on soil quality indicators and turmeric yield may help to develop a sustainable organic nutrient management practice for ensuring better yield and soil health besides doubling the farmer's income. The study was conducted in the seven farmer's fields involving organic nutrient management (ORG) practices with different years (4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, and 28 years) of practice in the western agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu, India. The analyzed chemical properties, viz., soil reaction, electrical conductivity, and nutrients (both macro and micro), and biological indicators, viz., soil organic carbon (SOC), organic matter, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), MBC/SOC ratio, culturable microbes, earthworm activity, dehydrogenase, and phosphatase activities, from the collected soil samples were found to be biologically and chemically more active in 28 years of organically managed soils than others. Turmeric rhizome yield was enhanced by about 48% and profitability by 62% in terms of net return in the same 28 years ORG field compared to recently converted ORG field (4 years). Established Pearson's correlation highlighted interrelationships between soil properties and rhizome yield as well as years of organic farming. The findings clearly indicate that the long-term practice of organic nutrient management aids in enhancing the soil quality, attaining maximum turmeric yield, and doubling the farmer's income in the Western zone of Tamil Nadu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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