The experiment was conducted in a 22nd cycle of rice-wheat rotation established in the eastern India with a randomized block designed with various combinations of inorganic and organic sources of nutrients like farm yard manure (FYM), paddy straw (PS), and green manure in rice crop only. Application of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) and its combination with FYM, PS, and green manuring increased the grain yield of rice significantly. Rice yield declined only in control plots (−0.003 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), whereas positive yield trend was maintained in all the treatments. All organically amended plots showed a better uptake as well as use efficiencies of applied phosphorus (P) inputs over control. The apparent P balance showed positive value in control treatment over the years ranging from −4.8 to 24.8 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The positive yield trend of rice was maintained due to buildup of P from various organic inputs.

A study on the rice–wheat cropping system was conducted at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India, to assess the effects of long-term manuring and fertilization on transformation of the inorganic phosphorus (P) fraction in soil after 22 years of the crop cycle. Soil samples were collected after Kharif from seven treated plots having different types of organic amendments like farm yard manure, paddy straw and green manuring with 50% substitution of nitrogen levels in rice crop only. The result showed that the yield trend of rice was maintained due to the buildup of P from various organic inputs. Although cultivation for 22 years without adding any fertilizer caused a significant decrease in almost all the forms of P viz. avail-P, saloid P, iron phosphorus fraction (Fe–P), aluminum phosphorus fraction (Al–P), calcium phosphorus fraction (Ca–P) and total P in control. Partial substitution of inorganic fertilizer N (50%) with organics, however, caused a significant increase in almost all the P fractions in soil over the control. The relative abundance of all the fractions of inorganic P irrespective of treatments was as follows: Fe–P > reductant soluble P fraction > occluded P > Al–P > Ca–P > saloid P. Saloid and Fe–P were the dominating fractions responsible for 92% variation of available P and total P levels, respectively.

The present investigation was carried out in coastal Sundarbans of India to study the effects of farm yard manure, green leaf manure, and vermicompost on biological attributes of soils and yield in rice–tomato, rice–sunflower, and rice–chili cropping system over conventional farmer’s practices (control) by a strip-plot technique for the two consecutive years. The partial substitution of inorganic fertilizers through organics significantly increased the yield of various cropping systems. The use of organic materials significantly improved microbial biomass carbon, fluorescein diacetate hydrolyzing activities, dehydrogenase, and β-glucosidase activity over control, which varied in the tune of 51.6%, 67.4%, 50%, and 62.7%, respectively, due to variation in electrical conductivity (EC) of these soils. The improved soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities act as key driving factor for organic matter decomposition and nutrient transformation in organically amended soils which lead to better yield under such cropping sequences.

The relationship between soil salinity parameters and their influence on soil spectral characteristics were analyzed using both satellite data (Hyperion) and reflectance data of soil samples collected from parts of Ahmedabad district of Gujarat, India. The soil spectral reflectance curves were assessed using absorption feature parameters by DISPEC software to identify suitable spectral band for salinity characterization. The Hyperion data of the study area were processed and classified into different classes by spectral angle mapper algorithm using spectral library generated from soil spectra. The results showed that among all the observed soil parameters Electrical Conductivity, Exchangeable Sodium Percentage, Cation Exchange Capacity and Mg⁺⁺ predictions can be made accurately based on partial least square regression models developed from selected wavelengths. Out of the total study area moderately saline-sodic, severely saline-sodic, severely saline and slightly saline soils occupy 23.5, 12.6, 10.9 and 0.04%, respectively.