Pritpal Singh

• Ph. D. (Soil Science), Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
• Associate Professor (Soil Science) at Punjab Agricultural University

Understanding the long-term impacts of different tillage regimes, crop establishment methods and residue management is critically important for sustainable agricultural management. These factors play pivotal role in shaping the dynamics of soil organic pool, enzymatic activity and bacterial diversity, which eventually influences the crop producti...

Soils in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGPs) of South Asia have been under intensive cultivation for centuries. In recent decades, the declining sustainability of cropping systems in some parts of IGPs has been linked with instability in carbon (C) dynamics in the soil caused by prevalent nutrient management scenarios. Data from long-term field experim...

Herbicide resistance has become one of the major unsustainability issues of the worlds' largest wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) ecosystems. In wheat, there is problem of herbicide resistance in Phalaris minor. Phalaris minor can cause wheat yield loss of 10-50% depending upon the density. We therefore, aimed to characterize herbicide use pattern and t...

Accurate prediction of soil organic carbon (TOC) is crucial for assessing soil health, fertility, and ecosystem functions and services. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance of various supervised learning models in comparison to neural networks for accurately capturing the complex relationships between soil attributes and...

Land-use change/cover has significant impact on change in soil organic matter quality which inter alia influences biological indices and micronutrients transformations in response to diverse management practices. We hypothesized that land-use change/cover significantly influenced plant mediated above-and below-ground C cycling, which largely govern...

ikswn vIro qy BY xo swl dy ies mhIny iv~c Aksr mwnsU n dI BrvIN brswq hu M dI hY [ ies vwr mO sm dy hwlwq hu x qk bhu qy su Kwvy N nhIN rhy [ pM jwb dy bhu qy izilH AW ivc bwirS jW qW nwmwqr ho eI hY jW aũkw hI nhIN ho eI[ ies siQqI ivc vI &slW dI isM cweI qW krnI hI hY [ pr lo V hY ik pwxI ƒ sM jm nwl vrqIey Aqy iesdI Fù kvIN vrqo N krIey [ pI ey...

Popular Article

Forest ecology has a significant impact on soil total organic carbon (TOC) pool because of alterations in substrate induced changes in soil enzymatic activity and microbial diversity. We investigated impacts of poplar (Populus deltoides) chronosequence on organic C pool and its metabolic potential to predict changes induced by altered microbial div...

**Abstract** Soil testing is a fundamental practice for enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring long-term sustainability. By assessing soil properties such as nutrient content, pH, organic matter, and salinity, soil testing provides critical information for site-specific nutrient management. This enables the precise application of fertili...

Nutrient management plays a significant role in influencing carbon (C) dynamics in soils due to altered substrate availability. It influences soil respiration which is considered important for the quantitative assessment of C loss from soils, which inter-alia impacts the long-term sustainability of cropland ecosystems. A laboratory incubation stud...

Agroforestry (AF) has played a significant role in the restoration and resilience of cropland ecosystems by mitigating carbon (C) emissions, while increasing crop productivity via modulation of micro-climate for underneath trees. The present study compared four land-use systems including three contrasting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) based AF syste...

The quantification of change in total organic carbon (TOC) pool and its fractions in relation to altered soil enzymatic activity during long-term vegetation refurbishment is considered critically important for managing and restoration of landscapes. Landscapes have contrasting impacts on soils’ biochemical and biological composition, which eventual...

anaging seasonal weeds in summer V season vegetable crops is a critical aspect of agricultural practice aimed at ensuring optimal crop growth and vield. Due to high water requirement of vegetable crops and their sowing in widely spaced rows, the problem of weeds is more prevalent in vegetable crops. The most common weeds in summer vegetable crops a...

Micro-nutrient viz., zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) availability and their transformations have a direct relationship with soil fertility and ecosystem’s productivity. The wide-spread adoption of highly input-intensive rice-based cropping systems (RBCSs) has depleted micro-nutrients, especially in the light-textured soils of n...

Drastic climatic perturbations and agricultural malpractices have spiked up the consequences of abiotic and biotic stress resulting in serious damage to crop plants, limiting productivity and eventually causing ecological degradation all of which translate to a loss of more than ~50% in global agriculture production. Agricultural scientists have be...

Water, energy and labor scarcity, and increasing cost of production are major challenges faced by the farmers under intensive agriculture production system. To address these challenges, various soil and crop management practices viz., crop rotations, crop residue management, tillage and fertilizer application are advocated to ensure food security a...

Eucalyptus clones respond differentially under variable moisture regimes with considerable differences in net primary production due to changed rates of photosynthesis which eventually influence plant growth attributes due to change in stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. We studied the growth attributes of five different Eucalyptus clones...

Land-use cover has significant impact on soil quality indices and micro-nutrients’ viz. zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) transformations. We therefore, studied the impact of land-use cover (with long history of >15-years) under three diverse cropland ecosystems viz. rice-wheat, cotton-wheat and agroforestry on micro-nutrients tr...

Carbon(C) is the only key to running in this worldly life and without carbon, nothing can be ensured, but the amount and form of C in different spheres of the earth make numerous changes. Changes in the carbon levels cause the lives of all living things. Soil carbon flux directly or indirectly affects the global climate and thus agriculture prod...

PurposeKiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Allison) is an important fruit crop of Indian lower Himalayas which respond significantly to nutrient management. Therefore, we aimed to improve the biochemical composition and fruit productivity, and the economics of kiwifruit under three contrasting nutrient management systems viz. Chemical Fertilizer Bas...

The information on changes in phosphorus (P) sorption and desorption characteristics and transformations after biochar application to high P fixing soils is still unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the differential response of biochar derives from five different farm waste viz. Lucaena sp., Albbizia sp., Mangifera indica, Triticum aestivum...

Nutrient management impacts the dynamics of organic carbon (C), C sequestration and various C pools in soils and sustainability of cropping systems through biomass input and organic matter addition through organic manures. We reviewed long-term field experiments on different cropping systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia to study the ef...

The reclamation of saline waterlogged soils via afforestation depends exclusively on plantation of tolerant tree species with fast growth habits and greater biomass production together with the ability to withstand ambient soil salinity. Soil salinity and water logging significantly influence the growth performance of Eucalyptus species which has l...

Cotton is an important crop in the south-western region of Punjab, which has suitable climate that makes it ideal for the cultivation of cotton. Cotton is a major cash crop in the area, and it contributes significantly to the region's economy. The crop is not only a source of income for farmers, but also provides employment opportunities for many p...

The conventional crop production practices including intensive tillage and open field crop residue burning in world’ largest rice-wheat system (RWS) are adversely affecting crop productivity besides deteriorating natural resources and ecosystems’ sustainability. In order to improve system productivity, potassium (K) use efficiency and apparent K ba...

Sugarcane (Saccharum ofcinarum) is cultivated across the globe with substantial variability in cane productivity and bio-chemical quality attributes. We studied the performance of seven mid-late maturing sugarcane varieties (MLMSVs) and five early maturing sugarcane varieties (EMSVs) cultivated in saline (E.C.1:2=3.40 dS m−1) and non-saline (E.C.1...

In south-western Punjab, we investigated how the soil organic C (TOC) pool changed over time in undisturbed sand dunes and adjacent field, along with its labile and non-labile fractions, their relationships to micronutrient fractions, and the biological characteristics of the soil (India). To explore the effects of land use changed from sand dunes...

Soil aggregate stability is considered feasible and important indicator for understanding complex interactions between soils' physico-chemical and biological properties and soil structure. The present study was therefore, conducted to find out the land-use change induced alteration in soil organic carbon (C) pool in response to changed restored eng...

fEHt'{ilfrDrffdd,l d r.es'aqsaeo mffito t6Bil{3 mB as ila u', T i fuH.6 *s ers'd f,rfrd e HF + d E+J i a fsH d a',{H'fr Fdr ilffir ad Eot-E lr€ d-f,u fud ffaiAdfts.sdiidsi r l.*f, hr3 faxr+ d ie-fuTT.6 +d fr':E ftH Erffi, gfrry,a +&'ffiffi dtSflr i$r{t kr}r'fr' lrfRIt tJ f+s fl1-gt H.6i td'6 udfiryi fdgtn ftq, u w flr-eB HH ffu efirr{'fuil ia DB gd...

resident residue into the soil. Thereafter, he performs of village Mehraj, block Rampura, district Bathinda, is an innovative farmer. rice residue into the soil, which helps fast After completing his matriculation in 2003, decomposition of rice residue. After leveling he decided to help his father in agricultural fields. At present, he is profitabl...

In southwestern Punjab (India), several varieties of onion (Allium cepa L.) are cultivated with variable agronomic attributes which showed differential temporal response. The present study evaluated the temporal variation in above-and below ground agronomic attributes of six different onion varieties viz. hybrid Takii (T-821), Sardulewala selection...

Carbon (C) stabilization in soils is considered a function of pre-existing C concentration, mineral fraction (silt + clay) and C input rates. We hypothesized that frequent and large C input to soils with low pre-existing C concentration and fine fraction would lead to higher C stabilization. The present study aimed to (i) establish thresholds in C...

The intensive cultivation in several parts of the world has increased a widespread of micronutrient deficiencies, especially Mn. Information on Mn transformations in soils in relation to its soil application, either alone or conjointly with organic manures, is less well known. A pot experiment was carried out during rabi season 2018 with fourteen t...

Seedlings of vegetables can be successfully grown under open field conditions as well as poly-house/net-hoUse sructures or even under cost-effective low tunnel techmology. The low tunnel technology has become most ideal Jor smal and medium farmers as it is less costly than osther protected caultivation techniques which require huge initial investme...

The present study investigated the quality of soil organic matter (SOM) and carbon (C) stability in saline and sodic soils under rice–wheat cropping system in south-western Punjab (India). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of salt-affected landscapes on soil physical, chemical, biological, and microbial attributes which in...

The study evaluated the yield and biochemical attributes of eight sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivars (CoPb-18211, CoPb-18212, CoPb-18213, CoPb-18214, CoPb-19211, CoPb-19212, CoPb-19213 and CoPb-19214) in saline and non-saline soils during 2019–20 at Punjab Agricultural University, Punjab farms at village-Ruldu Singh Wala (Bathinda) and...

Water footprints (WFs) in crop production are an ecological measurement of water utilization that represents the cumulative groundwater quantum consumed within a region (district/state or country) to produce the crops. WFs in crop production have great signifcance for ecosystem’s sustainability, as high WFs are posing a serious challenge for the sc...

Forest ecology has significant potential for carbon (C) and heavy-metals’ accumulation, and is considered important for mitigating environmental impacts within the ecosystem. Heavy-metals enter the soil–plant system via different anthropogenic activities per se industrialization, which has huge contribution through the discharge of heavy-metals enr...

The establishment of growth stage specific irrigation scheduling is considered critically important for achieving higher cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) productivity in north-western India. In the study region, farmers prefer pre-sowing irrigation (PSI) with canal water because underground water has poor quality due to presence of high concentration...

The present study investigated the adoption status of different crop production practices in direct seeded rice (DSR) in Bathinda district of southwestern Punjab. In the study region, traditional puddled transplanted rice (PTR) has shifted to DSR during COVID-19 pandemics; therefore, information of production practices in DSR was largely lacking. T...

In southwestern Punjab (India), several varieties of onion (Allium cepa L.) are cultivated with variable agronomic attributes which showed differential temporal response. The present study evaluated the temporal variation in above-and below ground agronomic attributes of six different onion varieties viz. hybrid Takii (T-821), Sardulewala selection...

Gram (Cicer arietium) is a major winter season pulse crop grown in India. The front line demonstrations (FLDs) of improved varieties of gram (var. PBG 7 and GPF 2) were conducted to investigate the yield potential and economics of gram cultivation during three consecutive years (2017-19) at farmer's fields in Bathinda district in southwestern Punja...

Aims To study the impact of salinity and water logging on Eucalyptus growth, carbon (C) sequestration in tree biomass and organic C pool under mulched and unmulched ridges.Methods We studied the performance of five Eucalyptus clones viz. C-413, C-2135, C-7, PE-8 and PE-11 on mulched and unmulched ridges, their impact on C sequestration in tree biom...

In the present study, four different long clubshaped brinjal varieties including three previously recommended viz. Punjab Barsati, Punjab Raunak and Punjab Sadabahar were compared with a new variety (PBL-234) were compared in adaptive research trials (ARTs) at four different locations during kharif-2021. These results showed that the mean number of...

Basmati rice is the most important kharif season cereal crop grown in Punjab, which is susceptible to foot rot disease. Therefore, the front line demonstrations (FLDs) were conducted during kharif-2021 at farmer’s fields to study the effect of seed/seedling treatment with Trichoderma harzianum on productivity and economics of basmati rice productio...

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important kharif season crop with high irrigation water requirement and has caused a threat to ecosystems’ sustainability. We compared continuous flooding (CF) of rice fields, a prevalent farmers practice with alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method i.e. irrigation scheduling after 1-2 days of disappearance of applied...

Long-term (>10 years) changes in depth-wise distribution of DTPA-Mn and Mn fractions of variable solubility in soils under three different cropping systems, viz. rice-wheat (RWCS), maize-wheat (MWCS) and cotton-wheat (CWCS) in Ludhiana, Ropar and Mansa districts of Punjab, north-western India were studied during 2005–18. The surface (0–15 cm) layer...

The development of robust nutrient management strategies have played a crucial role in improving crop productivity, profitability and nutrient use efficiency. Therefore, the implementation of efficient nutrient management stratigies is important for food security and environmental safety. Amongst the essential plant nutrients, managing nitrogen (N)...

The study was conducted to assess the long-term effects of predominant land uses on physicochemical properties, nutrient status and their interactions in soils of south-western Punjab representing the semi-arid soils of India. From each site, soil samples of three predominant land use viz. croplands, horticultural lands and uncultivated lands were...

PurposeTo study the impact of altitudinal variation along the north and south facing slope aspects characterized by diverse native vegetation on soil organic carbon (C) dynamics due to change in soils biological attributes.Methods The differences in soil biological properties for the Tanglang La region in Ladakh characterized by super low temperatu...

The direct seeded rice (DSR) has emerged as an economically viable and sustainable option for timely rice establishment due to labor shortage amid Covid-19 pandemics. The crop production practices differ greatly among puddled transplanted rice (PTR) and DSR. Therefore, we compared the performance of different rice varieties viz. PR-121, PR-126 and...

The study assessed the impact of Cotton Development Programme (CDP) on the adoption of recommended management practices in Bt-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L). The data was collected from 210 farmers over a period of six years to make quantitative comparison with baseline data collected during the initial three year period (2013-15) from Mansa distric...

Soil carbon (C) sequestration has gained worldwide attention for sustainable agricultural production while mitigating C footprints through reduced greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission. Soil organic C (SOC) directly impacts the soil health and long-term sustainability of terrestrial cropland ecosystems. SOC pool of surface soils (0–30 cm) across India a...

Soil carbon (C) sequestration has gained worldwide attention for sustainable agricultural production while mitigating C footprints through reduced greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission. Soil organic C (SOC) directly impacts the soil health and long-term sustainability of terrestrial cropland ecosystems. SOC pool of surface soils (0–30 cm) across India a...

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important fiber crop with high energy and C footprints. This study aimed at tracking C footprints through emission of greenhouse gases and energy flow nexus in cotton cultivation to frame policy to reduce C and energy footprints, while enhancing net ecosystem C budget and C sequestration in soils. We attempted t...

A field experiment was conducted for 5 years with four fertilizer-N rates (viz. N0, N90, N120 and 150 kg N ha⁻¹) to rice and wheat and two rates of rice straw (RS) incorporation (RS0 and RS10; 0 and 10 Mg ha⁻¹) in wheat arranged in a randomized complete block design to evaluate the effects on crop yields, potassium (K) use efficiency and K transfor...

Parawilt characterized by a sudden drooping of leaves followed by death of plants within few hours after rainfall or heavy irrigation has been the major physiological disorder affecting productivity of Bt-Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). We studied the effect of foliar application of cobalt chloride (@10 mg L-1 water) within 24-36 hours after appear...

Crop residue burning or removal from fields has detrimental impacts on crop productivity and soil quality due to decreased carbon (C) sustainability under intensive rice–wheat system (RWS). The conservation agriculture (CA) based on reduced tillage coupled with crop residue retention and raising leguminous green manure (GM) (Sesbania aculeata) duri...

Phosphorus (P) is indispensable for all life forms and is known as ‘king-pin’ in world agriculture. In spite of its high P concentration in most soils of the world (~100–3000 mg P kg⁻¹ soil), P is the most deficient nutrient in global agriculture. Its highly complex chemistry and occurrence of series of transformations on the soil colloidal complex...

This study evaluated the effect of contrasting land-use systems on changes in pools of total organic carbon (TOC) and its labile fractions, and identified the sensitivity of soil properties as a minimum data set (MDS) for assessing soil quality change in a dry, mountainous Himalayan region in India. The soils under mono (barley/mustard/oats)- and d...

wheat(Triticum aestivumL.) isanimportantwinterseasoncropcultivatedinrotationwithrice'maize and cotton in Punjab (lndia). The performance of new wheat variety 'sunehri'was evaluated through front line demonstrations (FLDs) as compared with the local checkvarieties in farmers practice (FP)' The FLDs were conducted during rabi 2020-21at 42 different f...

Gram (Cicer arietium) has been the most important rabi season pulse crop grown in Punjab. Therefore, the front line demonstrations (FLDs) of improved variety of gram (var. GPF 2) were conducted during rabi 2020-21 in farmers participatory mode to study the yield potential and economic indices of gram cultivation in Bathinda district of Punjab. The...

oirseed crops are the second most important determinant of agriculturar economy, next to cereals only. Among the oilseJciop", ,"y" lerassica 1in""" L') and g6b.hi "",son (Brassica napus L') are the important oilseed crops of rabi season. in it't" p'"""nt stuJy' the performance of canola quality varieties of raya (variety RLc 3) and gobhi """1n '(va...