Different Tillage and Residue Management Practices Affect Soil Biological Activities and Microbial Culturable Diversity in Rice-Wheat Cropping System Under Reclaimed Sodic Soils

Agricultural management practices alter soil characteristics and influence soil biological properties.Hence, a field trial was carried out to assess the 14-year long-term impact of tillage and residue management practices on soil biological activities and microbial population in a rice-wheat cropping system in two depths viz., 0-15 and 15-30 cm.Soil organic carbon levels differed significantly (p > 0.05) across various treatments.Microbial biomass carbon, microbial quotient, and soil enzymatic activities were significantly greater (10-82%) in crop residue incorporation/retention treatments.Zero tillage with residue retention (ZT+R) had the greatest bacterial, actinomycetes, and fungi population, followed by reduced tillage with residue incorporation (RT+R).The ZT+R treatment had the greatest value of K-strategist and r-strategist, and was equivalent to RT+R across both soil depths.When compared to conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage (ZT) increased wheat yield by 9%.However, compared to CT, rice and rice-wheat systems had lower grain yields, whereas crop residue increased wheat and rice-wheat system yields by 10% and 6%, respectively.The findings of this long-term study show that residue management and tillage practices can enhance soil biological attributes while also supporting microbial diversity.