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Effect of Legume Intercropping on Enrichment of Soil Nitrogen, Bacterial Activity and Productivity of Associated Maize Crops

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

N. B. Singh
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, 263 145, UP, India
P. P. Singh
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, 263 145, UP, India
K. P. P. Nair
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, 263 145, UP, India

Summary

Experiments comparing the effects of different legume intercrops on available soil nitrogen, bacterial activity and the yield of maize over two years showed that soyabean and blackgram were more suitable for this purpose than groundnut, substantially increasing NO3 and NH4 concentrations and populations of active bacteria in the maize rhizosphere. This increased maize yield by 15–20% and grain protein content by 20%.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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References

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