To develop fertilizer prescription equation for rice, a field experiment was conducted on an inceptisol of farmer’s field at Arachikuppam village, Puducherry during 2015 by using integrated plant nutrient management system on the basis of STCR approach. The rice grain and straw yield was significantly increased with the soil test values and fertilizer doses of N, P and K. Based on the experiment, the nutrient requirement for producing 1 quintal of rice grain was 1.46 kg of N, 0.60 kg of P2O5 and 1.12 kg of K2O, respectively. The percent nutrient contribution from soil was 20.18, 21.39 and 19.52, from fertilizer 39.04, 39.39 and 70.97 and from organic manure 23.06, 30.40 and 55.03 for N, P2O5 and K2O respectively. By using the basic parameters the soil test based fertilizer adjustment equations for specific targets of rice grain yield of 7.0 and 8.0 t ha-1 have been calibrated based on the targeted yield concept. These fertilizer prescription equations developed for Rice (var.) White Ponni can be used to estimate fertilizer doses formulated for the range of soil test values and desired yield targets under NPK alone and IPNS ( NPK plus FYM).

The living soil system plays a crucial role in sustainable agricultural production, with soil quality serving as a key indicator of environmental stability, food security, and economic viability. However, in recent years, soil health has been abruptly decreases due to unstable management practices and climatic challenges such as drought, salinity, and unpredictable weather patterns. To restore and maintain soil fertility for future food security, the use of natural soil organisms, particularly microbes, is essential. Soil microorganisms significantly contribute to nutrient mobilization, solubilization, and improved nutrient availability for plants. The rhizosphere, a dynamic zone around plant roots, is the hotspot of intense biological and biochemical interactions among microbes and plants, influencing soil biodiversity, disease suppression, and soil physicochemical properties. Microbes act as sensitive indicators of soil health due to their rapid response to environmental changes and their integral role in soil processes. Beneficial microorganisms like plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) not only enhance crop productivity but also improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. Additionally, microbial communities contribute to soil structural stability by forming aggregates, enhancing water retention, and facilitating organic matter dynamics. These plant-microbe interactions are vital for promoting crop growth, managing diseases, and achieving sustainable agriculture without harming ecosystem functions. Future research should focus on identifying effective microbial strains and understanding microbial metabolites that influence plant-soil interactions. This review highlights the crucial role of microorganisms in improving soil health and supports their potential application in advancing sustainable agricultural practices.

Soil represents three phase system which acts as a medium for agriculture production. Notably, at present, there were abrupt climate change like increase in temperature, drastic shift in rainfall pattern, precipitation, relative humidity and many more were noticed which not only affect plant physiological function, but also for soil individual properties (physical, chemical and biological) which ultimately hinders crop growth and development leads to limited food production. Although increase in one degree Celsius was found to increase pest population incidence by 20-30% which reduces yield by 6%. Suitable management practices were crucial in augmenting climate change scenario. Many studies shall focused management practices for crop health due to physiological function neglecting soil management process. This review briefly emphasize the significance effect of changing climate towards various soil individual properties and the suitable mitigation strategies like system of farming practices, inter-cropping, crop diversification, cover crops, amending beneficial microbes, conservation tillage and other precision technologies were involved for better crop production and to sustain agro-ecological system under changing climate.

The soil-plant interphase rhizosphere is a dynamic zone where intricate biochemical interactions occur among plants, soil, and microorganisms. Microbial toxins produced by bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes including phytotoxins, mycotoxins, antibiotics, siderophores, and other secondary metabolites play crucial yet often overlooked roles in regulating plant health and soil functioning. These compounds influence root architecture, nutrient acquisition, hormonal balance, and defense signaling pathways, thereby affecting plant performance under biotic and abiotic stresses. While some toxins function as virulence factors that cause plant diseases, others act at sub-lethal concentrations as signaling molecules that enhance plant-microbe communication and induce systemic resistance. Generally, microbial toxins also shape microbial community dynamics through antagonistic interactions, contributing to pathogen suppression and soil suppressiveness. Their production and persistence are strongly influenced by soil pH, organic matter, moisture, and nutrient status. Understanding toxin-mediated interactions is essential for harnessing beneficial microbes and developing sustainable soil and crop management strategies.

To develop the fertilizer prescription equations based on soil test crop response approach for rice-rice, field experiments were conducted at farmer's field in Karikalampakkam village, Puducherry, during 2015–2016. Soil test data, yield and NPK uptake by rice-rice were used for obtaining four important basic parameters viz., nutrient required to produce one quintal of rice, contribution of nutrients from fertilizers, contribution of nutrients from soil and contribution of nutrients from farmyard manure (FYM) (% CFYM) for both rice crops. The per cent contribution of nutrients from soil (CS), fertilizer (CF), and FYM (CFYM) were found to be 19.15, 45.90 and 23.27 for N, 12.13, 40.16 and 26.98 for P₂O₅ and 13.76, 79.64 and 41.07 for K₂O, respectively for rice (cv.white ponni). The same for the rice (cv.ADT 45) was 13.48, 40.46 and 34.26 for N, 15.81, 44.64 and 19.89 for P₂O₅ and 10.48, 58.60 and 41.51 for K₂O, respectively. Fertilizer prescription equations were developed and nomograms were formulated based on the equations for a range of soil test values and desired yield target for rice. Under NPK + FYM @12.5 t ha⁻¹, 47, 29, 34 and 41, 22 and 27 kg ha⁻¹ of fertilizer N, P₂O₅ and K₂O, respectively could be saved for attaining target yield of 70 q ha⁻¹ for rice cv. white ponni and cv.ADT 45 as compared to NPK fertilizers alone.