Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Balance under Continuous Manuring in Multiple Cropping Sequence in an Acid Hill Soil

After five years of continuous cropping and manuring in a long term fertilizer experiment in an acid hill soil the total N showed a deficit balance in control (163 kgN/ha) while it was positive but marginally so under N alone treatment (41 kg N/ha), moderate where N was applied in combination with P or PK (averaging to 255 kg N/ha) and highest in conjunction with P K + FYM (631 kg N/ha). The calculated loss of N was substantially high under 100% N and 150% NPK treatments (on soil test basis) but quite low in treatments involving farmyard manure and lime. HCl soluble P was in deficit under the treatments without P while its inclusion resulted in a build-up of phosphorus level in the soil and the net gain in soil P progressively improved with increasing doses of application. The balance of HCl soluble K way on the negative side without or even with K treatment, the deficit being more pronounced in no K application and maximum in control. The calculated loss of K increased with higher doses of K.