Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Soil Science and Biochemistry, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, 751003.
An acid sandy loam soil (Al saturation of 35%) fertilized with either soluble, insoluble or partially soluble P sources and amended with FYM, cowpea, dhaincha, paddy straw or lime and incubated for 75 days revealed that the decomposition of organic residues was maximum between 30 and 45 days. After 45 days, available P in soil increased and the increase was more in organic-than lime-amended soil. In a pot experiment, application of FYM to P fertilized soil caused a significant decrease in exchangeable Al content of soil and Al concentration in maize plant which resulted in 22 times higher biomass yield compared to application of only P fertilizers. Liming of no-FYM-amended pots after first crop though improved yield of subsequent maize crop, the effect was not as good as FYM.
Acid soil, phosphatic fertilizer, maize, green manuring, FYM, paddy straw
