Response of Sesbania Green Manuring and Mungbean Residue Incorporation on Microbial Activities for Sustainability of a Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Abstract

The microbial population and its biomass and nitrogenase activity in plant roots under sandy-clay-loam soil conditions where the plant residues of Sesbania rostrata and mungbean (Vigna radiata) were incorporated were significantly higher than that obtained from summer fallow. The increases in yield of rice and wheat and the total nitrogen content in shoot and grain was also perceptible by the application of green manuring. The results highlight the importance of green manuring in rice-wheat cropping systems under tropical sandy-clay-loam soil conditions of India.