Use of lignocellulolytic microbes for in-situ and ex-situ wheat residue decomposition

Crop residue is one of the various kinds of agricultural waste produced annually. In order to handle the massive amount of crop leftover and have the field ready for the succeeding crop ahead of schedule, farmers choose to burn the residue. In addition to contributing to global warming, crop residue burning has grown to be a serious environmental vis-à-vis soil health concern. Taking into account the abovementioned circumstances, a participatory field trial was carried out during 2021-22 and 2022-23 in Pipariya Kalan and Khairi villages of Shahpura and Patan blocks of Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh. Rice-wheat farming, the primary cause of crop residue fires, was the pattern utilized in the trial. The current study aimed to compare three treatments: crop residue removal for ex situ decomposition (ED), in situ decomposition (ID), and residue burning (RB) in field. The pooled data of two years indicated that the ED residue completely decomposed in 52 d after use of lignocellulolytic bacterial and fungal based microbial consortia over traditional decomposition (TD) practices where it took 95 d. Organic carbon (14.88%), nitrogen (0.97%), phosphorus (0.55%), and potassium (0.79%) contents were greater in ED than that of residues decomposed conventionally. Soil samples from in situ decomposition (ID) and the RB fields were taken before onset of monsoon and analyzed for SOC, available N, P and K contents. The results of the in situ decomposition of wheat residue using bacterial and fungal base microbial inoculants and residue burnt (RB) fields showed that the soil organic carbon (SOC), available N, P, and K status decreased by 11.48, 27, 13.62, and 16.55 per cent in the burnt fields, respectively. These values were recorded as 0.61%, 175.66, 18.32, and 231.77 kg/ha in the RB fields, and 0.68%, 223.08, 20.81, and 270.13 kg/ ha in the ID fields respectively.