Comparative efficiency of organic, mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer on soil properties and crops

Efficacy of organic, mineral and organo-mineral fertilizers are essential in farming system all over the world. Therefore, the discourse of this research is premised on a long-term field experiment to assess the agro-ecological efficiency of fertilizer systems of different intensity used in crop rotations composed of grain crops (more than 50%) and perennial grasses (20%). For organic farming, the results obtained in variants constituting an organic fertilizer system in the field trials are of great importance. It was found that the highest productivity of crop rotation on average for 30 years of fertilizer action (1984-2013) was obtained in organo-mineral (N60 P60 K60 on the backdrop of 6 t/ha of manure) and mineral (N90 P90 K90) variants, amounting to 3.4 t/ha of grain units, which is 43% higher than the control. On average, over the seven-year after-effect period (2014-2020), the organo-mineral fertilizer system in maximum doses-N150 P150 K150 supplemented with 15 t/ha of manure-gave a higher effect with a yield of grain units of 2.96 t/ha, or 70% higher than the control. The organo-mineral system in action had an advantage over the organic system in terms of crop rotation productivity (9 t/ha of manure) at the level of 15%. Depending on the fertilizer systems, the quality of plant products changed. In the variants of the mineral and organo-mineral fertilizer systems, the content of raw protein in the grain of winter and spring wheat, winter rye and oats increased, in the variant of the organic system, the starch content increased and the amounts of nitrates in potato tubers decreased. Organo-mineral systems compared with the control and other fertilizer systems optimized the humus state of the soil, reduced the rate of dehumification of organic matter and increased the biological activity of the soil. According to the data for 2019-2020, the cellulose-decomposing capacity of the soil in the aftereffect of the organo-mineral system (N90 P90 K90 + 9 t/ha of manure) increased to 79.5% whilst 76% was recorded for the control. © 2021, Gaurav Society of Agricultural Research Information Centre. All rights reserved