Crop management through organic and inorganic inputs in Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merill) based cropping systems

A field experiment was conducted during 2010-11 to 2013-14 at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra to study the effect of organic and inorganic inputs on productivity of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merill] based cropping systems. Two cropping systems viz., soybean-wheat and soybean-chickpea along with three crop management practices viz., organic, inorganic and integrated were evaluated in strip plot design with four replications. In kharif season, soybean seed yield was at par in soybean-wheat system (2718 kg ha-1) with soybean-chickpea (2662 kg ha-1) cropping system. Amongst the management practices, organic practice gave significantly higher soybean seed yield (2850 kg ha-1) than inorganic (2592 kg ha-1) and integrated (2629 kg ha-1) practice of crop management. However, in rabi wheat (4017 kg ha-1) recorded significantly higher yield than chickpea (1065 kg ha-1). Inorganic management (2829 kg ha-1) recorded significantly highest yield followed by integrated (2698 kg ha-1) and organic practice (2097 kg ha-1) during season. Soybean equivalent yield (SEY) was significantly higher in soybean-wheat cropping system (2595 kg ha-1) than soybean-chickpea (1304 kg ha-1). Inorganic practice showed significantly higher SEY (2129 kg ha-1) than other two management practices. System net returns were higher in soybean-wheat system (Rs. 86964 ha-1) and in inorganic practice (Rs. 97176 ha-1) than in soybean-chickpea cropping system (Rs. 57872 ha-1) and rest of the two management practices. Soybean-wheat cropping system with inorganic practice recorded higher system productivity (5573 kg ha-1).