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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Effect of sunhemp green manuring on soil physicochemical properties, nutrient cycling and microbial activity in rabi maize

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13162
Submitted
11 December 2025
Published
30-08-2026

Abstract

This field investigation was conducted during the rabi (winter) season (November 2022 to March 2023) at the College Farm, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), Hyderabad, Telangana, India, to evaluate the effects of sunhemp in situ green manuring at 45 days after sowing (DAS) and variable nitrogen application at the tasselling stage on microbial dynamics, nutrient cycling and physicochemical properties of the rhizosphere soil of rabi maize. At 20 days after incorporation (DAI), it was found that the green-manured treatments recorded significantly higher microbial population (cellulolytic: 83.7–92.4 × 103 CFU g-1; lignolytic: 206–244 × 104 CFU  g-1 soil) and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase: 80.5 µg triphenyl formazan (TPF) g-1 soil; fluorescein diacetate: 88.5 µg fluorescein g-1 soil) compared to sole maize because of the presence of higher amount of organic matter in those treatments which is reflecting the importance of organic manures in maintaining the soil health. Similarly, in the case of available nutrients, the green manured treatments recorded significantly higher amounts of available nitrogen (222–227 kg ha-1), phosphorus (25.5–27.8 kg ha-1) and potassium (316–324 kg ha-1) due to the release of nutrients from the decomposing green manure. The presence of higher organic matter in the green manured plots improved soil moisture (21.1–22.7 %) and soil temperature (24.2–25.1 °C) compared to sole maize (19.4 % moisture and 23.6 °C). Sunhemp produced a biomass of 1.33 to 1.42 t ha-1, with lower levels of lignin fibre (1.26–1.34 %) and higher levels of cellulose and hemicellulose, indicating rapid decomposability of the organic biomass. The study revealed that in situ green manuring benefits the rhizosphere soil nutrient status and microbial activity, thereby improving soil health and productivity of rabi maize.

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