The Effect of Mineral and Organic-Mineral Fertilizer Rates on The Productivity and Soil Fertility of Mixed Sorghum-Pea Crops in The Field
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65888/icraft.2.1.26Keywords:
sorghum–pea, intercropping, mineral fertilizer, manure, green biomass yield, residue qualityAbstract
This study evaluated the effects of mineral and organic–mineral fertilizer rates on green biomass yield and soil fertility in mixed sorghum–pea intercropping under irrigated gray-meadow soils of Uchoghlan (Aghdam), Azerbaijan, during 2023–2024. Baseline soils were weakly alkaline (pH 7.2–8.1) and poorly supplied with humus (0.65–2.41%), available P (3.85–12.89 mg/kg), and exchangeable K (74.5–275.2 mg/kg), indicating a need for fertilization. Sorghum (“Stavropol Feed Hybrid”) and pea (“Nail”) were sown in the same row at 20 and 30 kg/ha, respectively, following barley harvest. Nine fertilizer variants were tested under vegetative irrigation totaling 3100 m³/ha, including mineral fertilizers (NPK) and combinations with farmyard manure (10 t/ha). Green biomass yield increased significantly over the unfertilized control (363 s/ha), reaching 451, 540, 615, and 622 s/ha with N40P60K60, N60P90K90, N90P120K120, and N120P150K150, respectively. Although the numerically highest yield occurred at N120P150K150, statistical analysis identified N90P120K120 as the optimal mineral rate (615 s/ha; +69.42%). Organic–mineral combinations also performed strongly: manure 10 t/ha + N40P95K60 and manure 10 t/ha + N70P125K90 yielded 608 and 612 s/ha, respectively. Fertilization markedly increased stubble residue mass (from 6.1 to 10.4 s/ha with N120P150K150; to 9.4 s/ha with manure 10 t/ha + N70P125K90) and root biomass (from 24.2 to 31.8 s/ha and to 30.0 s/ha for the same treatments under three irrigations), while elevating nutrient concentrations in residues (e.g., total N from ~0.96% to 1.11%; K from ~0.98% to 1.22%). Similar trends held under five irrigations. Findings indicate that N90P120K120 is the most efficient mineral fertilizer norm for maximizing green biomass in this system under 3100 m³/ha irrigation, with manure 10 t/ha + N40P95K60 recommended as an effective organic–mineral alternative. Enhanced residue quantity and nutrient content suggest improved soil structure, biological N contribution, and overall soil fertility, confirming sorghum–pea intercropping as a valuable precursor for subsequent crops in irrigated gray-meadow soils.
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