Integrating Zero Tillage, Paddy Straw Mulching, and Wastewater Irrigation for Potato Farming in East Kolkata Wetland Silty Clay Soil: A Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Fertilizer-Dependent Production

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🔬研究者:農業・土壌科学研究者にとって、不耕起・マルチ・廃水灌漑の統合効果の実証データとして有用。

🏢実務担当者:化学肥料依存からの転換を検討する農業関係者に、代替農法の事例を提供。

🏛政策担当者:農業分野のGX政策立案において、廃水利用や有機農業推進のエビデンスとして参考になる。

<title>Abstract</title> <p> Potato cultivation in West Bengal is usually concentrated in sandy loam and other well-drained soils and is commonly supported by substantial synthetic fertilizer inputs. The present study, conducted between 2021 and 2026, evaluates an alternative production model in the East Kolkata Wetlands, where potato was cultivated on silty clay soil under zero tillage with approximately 11-inch paddy straw mulching and irrigation from a sewage-fed canal. Soil test records, canal-water nutrient analysis, field yield records, and paired temperature measurements from the bed surface and tuber zone have been examined in this study. Across four soil reports, mean values are pH 5.62, organic carbon 0.72%, available nitrogen 437.38 kg/ha, available phosphorus 37.64 kg/ha, and available potassium 456.97 kg/ha. Canal water contained 17.1 mg/L dissolved nitrogen as NH3-N, 1.95 mg/L dissolved phosphorus as PO4-P, and 4.82 mg/L dissolved potassium; at an assumed seasonal irrigation volume of 6,000 m3/ha, this corresponds to approximately 102.6 kg N/ha, 11.7 kg P/ha, and 28.9 kg K/ha. Potato productivity under the East Kolkata Wetland silty clay system ranged from 21,525 to 25,830 kg/ha, with a mean of 23,677.5 kg/ha, representing 77.7% to 93.2% of the comparative benchmark yield of 27,720 kg/ha reported for conventional fertilizer-dependent sandy loam potato farming in other parts of West Bengal. Temperature observations showed that the thick straw mulch reduced tuber-zone temperature by an average of 9.25°C relative to the aerial bed temperature, and this paired difference was statistically significant (paired t-test, p = .033). Although the small number of yield observations limits formal inference, the results indicate that wastewater irrigation, native soil fertility, and thick paddy straw mulch jointly created a productive potato-growing environment in a soil type that was usually considered less suitable for the crop. The system appears particularly strong in reducing synthetic nitrogen requirement, while phosphorus management remains necessary for balanced crop nutrition in conventional farming so in the zero-tillage model, with the creation of favourable environment of beneficiary microbes the Pseudomonas <italic>fluorescens</italic> 10 ⁸ /gm and <italic>Trichoderma viride</italic> 10 ⁷ /gm are used as Biocontrol and Phosphorus uptake enhancer. </p>

• Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9510194/v1first seen 2026-05-14 21:20:27