ORGANIC MULCHING TO CONSERVE SOIL NUTRITIONAL QUALITY AND ENHANCE WHEAT YIELD

Nutritional degradation of soil is an alarming issue of present agriculture due to extensive farming to overcome food security. A field experiment was conducted during rabi season 2021- 22 at the research area of Arid Zone Research Centre (AZRC), Dera Ismail Khan to assess the efficiency of two types of mulches (farm manure (FM) and wheat straw (WS) to conserve soil nutrient capacity with improving wheat yield. Wheat variety “AARI-2011” was sown @ 150 kg/ ha and fertilizers were applied @ 120-90-60 kg/ha of NPK using Randomized Complete Block Design. The soil was sampled from 0-60 cm depth after the wheat crop harvesting and was examined for soil NO3 -1 nitrogen, available P and extractable K. Wheat straw and grain yields were taken at maturity showing significant improvement with increasing mulch application. Plant grain samples were also analyzed for nutrient (N, P and K) concentrations. The data were statistically analyzed using the ANOVA technique and the means of the treatments were compared using HSD (Tuckey’s) test with 5% significance. An eloquent increase in nutritional components NO3 -1, P and K of the top 30 cm soil layer and crop grain was observed. It was concluded that the application of organic wastes as soil cover not only conserves soil but also enhances its productivity. Therefore, it is recommended to use mulching materials to conserve soil and enhance productivity.