ASSESSING SOIL MICROBIAL POPULATION AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS FOR ENHANCING PRODUCTIVITY IN MILLET-BASED CROPPING UNDER NATURAL FARMING

Abstract

Soil microorganisms are vital components of the soil ecosystem, playing an important role in nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and maintaining soil fertility and productivity. In recent years, growing concerns about soil degradation and the excessive use of chemical inputs have increased interest in sustainable farming approaches that support soil health. Natural farming is gaining recognition as an eco-friendly agricultural practice that encourages biological activity in the soil and enhances the natural functioning of agroecosystems. Since soil microbial populations are considered sensitive indicators of soil health, understanding their response to different management practices is essential. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different cropping systems and natural farming practices on soil bacterial and fungal populations, with the aim of assessing their potential to improve soil biological health and promote sustainable crop production. The specific objectives of this study were i) To identify the most productive millet-based cropping system under natural farming practices, ii) To study the effect of different millet-based cropping systems on physico-chemical and biological properties of soil under natural farming practices, iii) To assess the radiation use pattern of different millet-based cropping systems under natural farming practices. The experiments were conducted under split plot design using 48 plots and soil samples were collected from each of the treatment plot before sowing and after harvest of every cropping system and analyzed for soil physico-biological properties. Further, the yield and features of the finger millet, barn yard millet, lentil and linseed were found to improve considerably due to natural farming practices associated with millet cropping systems. Initial bacterial and fungal populations were 22.29 × 10⁻⁸ and 10.0 × 10⁻⁵ CFU g⁻¹ soil, respectively. At harvest, natural farming treatments improved microbial populations, with NF4 recording the highest bacterial (26.2 × 10⁻⁸ CFU g⁻¹ soil) and fungal (12.7 × 10⁻⁵ CFU g⁻¹ soil) counts. Among the natural farming levels, application of NF4 recorded significantly higher available soil nitrogen (210 kg ha-1), phosphorus (23.1 kg ha-1), and potassium (81.1 kg ha-1) compared to NF1 (Nitrogen-179 kg ha-1, phosphorus- 20.1 kg ha-1, and potassium- 68.3 kg ha-1) and for the cropping systems, CS1 recorded significantly higher kharif grain yield (1207 and 1130 kg ha-1) and rabi grain yield (644 and 534 kg ha-1), respectively in 2024-25 and 2025-26 compared to CS4 (kharif grain yield- 310 and 305 kg ha-1 and rabi grain yield- 343 and 324 kg ha-1, respectively).Thus, advanced natural farming practices improve considerably microbial activity and soil health. Finally, yields of millet, lentil and linseed crops were evaluated. It can be stated that the application of natural farming significantly enhanced soil nitrogen content and improved the growth of crop species. Positive correlations were found between microbial parameters and millet yield, which proves that the management of soil microbes can contribute to the efficiency of nitrogen utilization and productivity.