Assessment of Field Indicators of Soil Quality following Long-term Cultivation of Pulses on Entisols in Indo Gangetic Plain

Pulse crops, in addition to enriching the soil with nitrogen, have the ability to improve the soil quality. To understand the impact of continuous cultivation of pulses on soil health, eleven field indicators of soil quality were assessed in three systems viz., continuous pulse crops, farmer's practice of random non-pulse crop rotations and uncultivated barren lands on Entisols in Indo Gangetic plain. The measured soil quality indicators allowed us to infer an unambiguous quality improvement in plots cultivating pulses continuously compared to farmer's fields, which had non-pulse crops for the past 15 years. The barren land showed the lowest values. The field indicators used in this study can be used by farmers to assess the quality of their soils and undertake corrective measures but may not be useful in comparing the soils differing in inherent properties.