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Soil Microbial Activity After Green Manure — Field Trial Summary

By Dr. Meena Agarwal · Jun 12, 2026

Soil Microbial Activity After Green Manure — Field Trial Summary — image 1

One-season trial on black cotton soils shows higher organic carbon and lower bulk density after dhaincha incorporation.

Agriculture · SoilnWater farmer network
Practical field knowledge, water-smart farming, and community crop support
Research Findings Agricultural Research Cotton
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Crop & farm profile

Season, soil, and farm context for this agriculture post.

Crop Cotton
Growing season Kharif
Climate zone Tropical wet-dry
Soil type Black Soil
Farming type Integrated Farming

Soil health

pH 7.2
Organic carbon 0.54%
Nitrogen 312 kg/ha
Phosphorus 22 kg/ha
Potassium 198 kg/ha
Recommendations

Continue dhaincha green manure; add compost 2.5 t/ha before cotton sowing; avoid deep plough in dry crust.

Farm location

Structured location for this agriculture post.

Country India
State Maharashtra
District Nagpur
City/Town/Village Saoner

Media & documents

Featured image
Featured agriculture image
research-report-soil-microbes.pdf soil-test-report-nagpur-trial.pdf

Audience & tags

Target audiences
Researchers Agriculture Students Farmers
Soil Health Research Findings Organic Farming Agriculture

Community engagement settings

Knowledge exchange Crop Doctor Comments Questions Suggestions Feedback Share Poll
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Background

University-led trial on 1 ha black cotton plot comparing green manure vs chemical fallow.

Problem

Declining organic matter and crusting after repeated cotton–soybean rotation.

Method Used

Dhaincha sown at 25 kg/ha, incorporated at 50% flowering; soil sampled at 0–15 cm monthly.

Results

Organic carbon +0.18%; microbial biomass +22%; bulk density reduced 6%.

Challenges

One season insufficient for yield response; labour cost for incorporation noted.

Recommendations

Combine green manure with reduced tillage; retest for three seasons before scaling.

Location information

Where this content is relevant

City Specific

Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

Additional details

Extra context about this post

Author bio
Farmer and SoilnWater agriculture contributor sharing practical field experience.
Agriculture Share Type
Research Findings
Agriculture Category
Agricultural Research
Country
India
State
Maharashtra
District
Nagpur
City
Saoner
Agriculture Climate Zone
Tropical wet-dry
Agriculture Soil Type
Black Soil
Agriculture Enable Knowledge Exchange
Yes
Agriculture Enable Crop Doctor
Yes
Agriculture Crop Name
Cotton
Agriculture Growing Season
Kharif
Agriculture Soil Test Conducted
yes
Agriculture Soil Ph
7.2
Agriculture Soil Organic Carbon
0.54%
Agriculture Soil Nitrogen
312 kg/ha
Agriculture Soil Phosphorus
22 kg/ha
Agriculture Soil Potassium
198 kg/ha
Agriculture Soil Recommendations
Continue dhaincha green manure; add compost 2.5 t/ha before cotton sowing; avoid deep plough in dry crust.
Agriculture Farming Type
Integrated Farming
#Soil Health #Research Findings #Organic Farming #Agriculture

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