Table 4.
Effect of tillage, irrigation and mulch on green fodder yield (GFY) and dry fodder sorghum yield (DFY) and wheat grain and straw yield (Mg ha−1) and weighted linear soil health index (SHI).
| Treatments | Sorghum | Wheat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFY | DFY | SHIRS | Grain | Straw | SHIIW | |
| Tillage | ||||||
| Conventional | 53.7 | 12.7 | 0.50B | 6.10A | 8.95 | 0.40B |
| Reduced | 55.8 | 14.0 | 0.51AB | 5.94AB | 8.73 | 0.41A |
| Zero | 56.5 | 14.1 | 0.52A | 5.70B | 8.01 | 0.41A |
| SEm ± | 4.58 | 1.21 | 0.01 | 0.12 | 0.40 | |
| Saline irrigation | ||||||
| 100CWR | 53.5 | 13.2 | 0.49C | 5.86 | 8.36 | 0.40B |
| 80CWR | 54.7 | 13.6 | 0.51B | 5.98 | 8.91 | 0.40B |
| 60CWR | 57.6 | 14.0 | 0.53A | 5.90 | 8.42 | 0.42A |
| SEm ± | 1.94 | 0.51 | 0.01 | 0.13 | 0.27 | 0.01 |
| Mulch | ||||||
| No mulch | 54.7 | 13.3 | 0.49B | 5.77B | 8.54 | 0.40B |
| Mulch | 55.9 | 13.9 | 0.53A | 6.05A | 8.59 | 0.39B |
| SEm ± | 1.58 | 0.42 | 0.01 | 0.11 | 0.22 | 0.42A |
Different uppercase letters (A, B) denote significant differences (P < 0.05, Tukey's HSD test). Data are means over 2 years. CWR: Per cent water requirement for wheat, irrigation applied only in wheat, sorghum was grown as rainfed; SEm ± : standard error.
SHI for sorghum (SHIRS) = ∑ [(α-glu score × 0.1) + (MBC score × 0.1) + (ECe score × 0.09) + (KMnO4-N score × 0.09) + (MBN score × 0.07) + (MBCN ratio score × 0.07)].
SHI for wheat (SHIIW) = ∑ [(MBC:MBN ratio score × 0.11) + (ECe score × 0.11) + (MBC score × 0.11) + (Olsen’s P score × 0.11) + (Urease score × 0.08) + (KMnO4-N score × 0.06)].