Effect of planting pattern and straw management techniques on soil physical properties

An experiment was conducted at the Research Farm, PAU, Ludhiana, during the rabi season of 2006–07 and 2007–08 to study the effect of different planting patterns and straw management techniques on soil physical properties. The experiment consisted of five planting patterns viz., Zero till sowing with Happy seeder (combine harvested), Zero till sowing in standing stubbles (loose straw removed), Zero till sowing (complete burning of rice straw), bed sowing (rice straw removed) and conventional tillage (partial burning of rice straw) in main plots and four weed control treatments viz., sulfosulfuron 25 g/ha, mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron 12 g/ha, pinoxaden 50 g/ha and control (unweeded) in sub plots during 2006–07 and 2007–08. Lower bulk density (0–15 cm depth) was observed under bed planting (1.48 and 1.48g cm⁻³) and conventional tillage techniques (1.49 and 1.48 g cm⁻³) was observed during both years, respectively. Also, lower soil strength under bed planting (9.06 and 9.40 deci MPa) and conventional tillage techniques (10.30 and 9.90 deci MPa) during 2006–07 and 2007–08 respectively were found in the surface layer i.e. at 0–15 cm depth, as a result of which higher infiltration rate at initial stages was also noted under these two treatments. However, in lower layers, values of bulk density and soil strength were higher and infiltration rate was lower in bed planting and conventional tillage than zero tillage systems.