<div>Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the important cereal crops of world. Its multiple uses in food industry made it most demanded crop, but the productivity in India is still low. Inclusion of legumes in the cropping system can help in restoring soil fertility in incredible ways hence, enhancing the crop productivity. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted at B. A. College of Agriculture, AAU, Anand during summer-kharif seasons of years 2017 and 2018 to examine the impact of legume crop residue and nitrogen levels on maize crop. Experiment comprised of three legume crops grown in summer season viz., green gram, groundnut and cluster bean, two residue management treatments viz., residue removal and incorporation and three nitrogen levels in kharif maize viz., 100%, 75% and 50% recommended dose of nitrogen.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Cluster bean-maize cropping system followed by groundnut-maize cropping system observed for the highest improvement in growth parameters, yield attribute and grain and straw yield. Residue incorporation of summer legumes and full dose of nitrogen in maize was found significant for increasing growth and yield parameters and grain yield of maize. Study indicate that residue incorporation had positive effects on maize growth and yield, however incorporation was not able to reduce the nitrogen requirement through chemical means.</div>

Effect of Inclusion of Legumes in Cropping System and their Residue Incorporation on the Yield of Maize

<div>Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the important cereal crop and its demand is increasing due to its versatile use but the productivity in India is still low. The basic requirement for improving the crop productivity is soil fertility and it is highly related with soil organic matter. Due to unavailability of organic manure and their higher cost, cheaper the organic source available at farm should be explored to meet the requirement. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted at College Agronomy Farm, B.A. College of Agriculture, AAU, Anand during summer-kharif seasons of years 2017 and 2018 to examine the impact of legume crop residue and nitrogen levels on maize crop. Experiment comprised of three legume crops grown in summer season viz., green gram, groundnut and cluster bean, two residue management treatments viz., residue removal and incorporation and three nitrogen levels in kharif maize viz., 100%, 75% and 50% recommended dose of nitrogen. 
 
Result: Results indicated that cluster bean-maize sequence provided the highest leaf area and leaf area index at 60 days after sowing, chlorophyll content and dry matter production at 30 and 60 days after sowing and crop growth rate for of maize crop. Incorporation of legume residues also had significant effect on plant height, dry matter production and chlorophyll content; leaf area and leaf area index at 60 days after sowing and crop growth rate and absolute growth rate of maize crop. Application of 100% RDN beneficially affected all the growth parameter and indices. Overall, summer legume cropping with their residue incorporation and higher nitrogen levels favourably impacts on various growth parameters and growth indices of maize crop.</div>

<div>Effect of Legume Crop Residues and Nitrogen Management on Growth Parameters and Growth Indices of Maize (Zea mays L.)</div>

<div>Background: Legume residues such as leaves from cowpea and lablab plants can be accumulated in large quantities after fruits harvesting. These legumes can be incorporated in ruminants&rsquo; diets due to their high feeding value. They are rich in crude protein, vitamins and minerals when compared to grasses that normally deteriorate during dry seasons. This paper is focusing on determining effect of legume residues and maize straws on in vitro dry matter degradability (IVDMD) and palatability indices in ruminants. 
 
Methods: For palatability experiment, each of five male boer goats was provided with four feeding troughs carrying&nbsp; four different feeds (maize straws and 3 legumes =&nbsp;Lablab purpureus - lablab and 2 Vigna unguiculata - cowpeas - Dr Saunders and Betswit). The legume residues and maize straws were also analyzed for chemical composition and IVDMD. All data was subjected to a one-way analysis of variance.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Dr Saunders (230.7 g/kg DM) had the highest (P&lt;0.05) crude protein content when compared to all diets. Lablab (126.3 g/kg DM) had the lowest (P&lt;0.05) acid detergent lignin. The highest (P&lt;0.05) condensed tannins concentrations (50.1 g/kg DM) was recorded for Betswit. The highest (P&lt;0.05) in vitro dry matter degradability was recorded for lablab at 24 up to 72 hrs. Lablab had a higher palatability index (P&lt;0.05) when compared to other diets. Intake (r2 = 0.955) and palatability index (r2 = 0.971) were positively and significantly (P&lt;0.05) predicted from total phenolics on goats. Though lablab had better values in most parameters measured, all legumes can be highly recommended to supplement low-quality roughages such as maize straws and grasses.</div>

Proximate Analysis, in vitro Dry Matter Degradability and Palatability Index of Legume Residues and Maize Straws for Ruminants

<div>The bioactive phytochemicals are the most important bioactive compounds against insect herbivores. These phytochemicals produced by many legumes and react herbivore attacks. Therefore, keeping in mind the said facts, this review discusses the potential use of bioactive compounds like Proteinase inhibitors, trypsin inhibitors, lectins, vicillins (7S storage proteins), phenolics, amino acids, sugars and &alpha;-amylase inhibitors in legume plants as most important weapons that confer resistance against herbivorous insects. These inhibitors inhibiting proteases present in the larval gut and has insecticidal potential against insect pests. This review demonstrates the potential of natural phytochemicals from legume plants and or artificially diet incorporate to inhibit the development of pathogens and insect pests. Thus, legumes can be used to produce phytochemicals as bio-pesticides and minimize or avoid the use of agrochemicals in crop protection. This ability making them interesting bioactive for next generation of sustainable pesticides for more sustainable agriculture.</div>

Legumes: Source of Bioactive Compounds and Their Potential Use in Legume Crops Improvement: A Review

Background: One of the main reasons for India&rsquo;s decreased food production is the depletion of soil fertility. The primary causes of soil deterioration are lack of awareness among farmers and lack of land use regulations. By limiting the erosion and enhancing the nutrients available to the crops, conservation agriculture increases the organic matter content of the soil and contributes to the improvement of field conditions. But compared to conventional agriculture, the practise of conservation agriculture is less advanced. And also there is a dearth of research on the use of crop residues for the management of soil fertility. So this study was undertaken in order to examine the impacts of crop residue, inorganic fertilizers and cropping system as a component of an integrated crop residues and fertility management system on nutrient uptake and net returns of greengram. 
 
Methods: The experiment consists of strip plot design and was carried out during 2020-21 and 2021-22 under zero till conditions at college farm, Rajendranagar, PJTSAU to study the effect of previous crop residues and fertility levels on succeeding greengram.&nbsp; 
 
Result: According to the data, greengram absorbed more nutrients at various growing stages. The residual effect of incorporation of residues treated with microbial consortia composed of Trichoderma viridae, Aspergillus awamori and Phanerocheate spp. along with 300:100:100 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5 and K2O (125% RDF) and phosphorous supplied in the form of single super phosphate (SSP) resulted in significantly higher financial returns. In greengram, residue incorporated plots outperformed residue burning, removal and retention plots with 125% RDF in terms of nutrient uptake, as well as monetary returns like gross returns, net returns and B:C ratio. In a similar vein, yield in residue-incorporated plots was higher than it was in residue-removal and in-situ burning plots during summer, 2021 and 2022.

Nutrient Uptake and Economics of Summer Greengram as Influenced by Residual Effect of Paddy Residues and Fertility Levels

Background: Farmers&rsquo; conventional tillage and residue removal practices in rice-maize-greengram systems in India are input-intensive, costly and soil degradative. A number of soil quality issues have emerged due to continuous cropping and burning of residues threatening the sustainability of rice based cropping systems for the last more than four decades. Nevertheless, the in-situ or in-field decomposition of crop residue using microbial inoculum is rarely studied. This necessitated the use of microbial consortia developed by a combination of potent strains of fungi which can perform harmoniously for rapid decomposition of crop residues. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during 2020-21 and 2021-22 with eight residue-management treatments and three fertility levels to zero till maize at college farm, Rajendranagar, PJTSAU using strip plot design and the residual effect on the succeeding greengram was studied. 
 
Result: Greengram growth and yield were significantly higher under residual effect of incorporation of residues treated with microbial consortia consisting of Trichoderma viridae, Aspergillus awamori and Phanerocheate spp. along with 300:100:100 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5 and K2O (125% RDF) and P supplied in the form of single super phosphate (SSP) under zero tillage during summer, 2021 and 2022. Growth parameters like plant height, leaf area index, dry matter production and yield attributes like number of pods plant-1, pod length and number of seeds pod-1 in greengram were higher under residue incorporated plots compared to residue burning, removal and retention plots with 125% RDF.

Residual Effects of Microbial Treated Paddy Residues Applied to Zero Till Maize on Growth and Yield of Summer Greengram

Background: To work out the residual effect of rice residue, FYM and fertilizers on summer moong (Vigna radiate L.) in Rice-potato-summer moong cropping system. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: The present study was carried out at Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with two factors. Factor A contains&nbsp; five nutrient management treatments in potato (Rice residue+ 125 % NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM, Rice residue + 100%&nbsp; NPK + 25 tha-1&nbsp;FYM, Rice residue+ 75 % NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM, Rice residue + 125% NPK + 0 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM and Without rice residue + 100% NPK+ 50 tha-1&nbsp;FYM) and factor B contains three&nbsp; nitrogen levels in&nbsp; summer moong&nbsp; (0 kg ha-1&nbsp;N, 6.25 kg ha-1&nbsp;N and 12.5 kg ha-1&nbsp;N ). 
&nbsp; 
Result: The plant height, branches, dry matter accumulation, LAI and chlorophyll content index were significantly affected with the treatments applied to preceding potato crop. The application of rice residue+ 125% NPK + 25 tha-1&nbsp;FYM to potato crop resulted significantly higher plant height, branches, dry matter accumulation, LAI and chlorophyll content index of moong crop as compared to rice residue+ 75% NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM and rice residue+ 125% NPK + 0 tha-1&nbsp;FYM while at par to rice residue+ 100% NPK + 25 tha-1&nbsp;FYM and without rice residue + 100 % NPK+ 50 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM. The significantly higher biometric parameters were observed with 12.5 kg ha-1&nbsp;N which was significantly higher than the 0 and 6.25 5 kg ha-1 N. The application of rice residue+ 125% NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM to potato crop resulted significantly higher yield and yield attributing characters as compared to rice residue+ 75% NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM and rice residue+ 125% NPK + 0 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM while at par to rice residue+ 100% NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM and without rice residue + 100% NPK 50 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM. The application of higher dose of nitrogen @ 12 kg ha-1&nbsp;also significantly increased the yield and yield attributing characters as compared to lower doses of summer moong. The nutrients uptake ( N,P and K) was also maximum with rice residue+ 125% NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM which was at par to rice residue+ 100% NPK + 25 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM and without rice residue + 100% NPK+ 50 t ha-1&nbsp;FYM while significantly higher than other treatment. The application of higher dose of nitrogen @ 12 kg ha-1&nbsp;in summer moong also significantly increased the nutrient uptake and protein content as compared to lower doses.

Residual Effect of Rice Residue, Fym and Fertilizers on Growth, Yield and Quality of Summer Moong (Vigna radiata L.) in Rice-Potato-Summer Moong Cropping System

<div>Background: Green gram (Vigna radiata), the third most important pulse crop, is grown in tank-fed, command areas after the harvest of paddy. In such areas, legume trees like Delonix regia and Peltophorum pterocarpum are commonly found and tree parts often fell in watercourses and were flown to crop fields along with irrigation water. Hence, it is necessary to study whether any allelopathic effect is present in these parts of trees which may affect the growth and development of green gram grown in farmland crops.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Collected different tree parts viz., bark, leaf and fresh flower, a matured pod of Delonix regia and Peltophorum pterocarpum, cleaned and soaked distilled water at weight/volume ratio of 1:10 for 24 hrs. Aqueous extracts were filtered and tested for&nbsp;inhibition&nbsp;of green gram. Pot culture experiments were conducted with 10 treatments and four replications. Germination (%), shoot length (cm), root length (cm), fresh weight (mg), dry weight (mg), seedling vigour index-I and vigour index-II in green gram were recorded and the magnitude of inhibition versus simulation in bioassay was compared through response index. 
 
Result: Among the plant parts, Delonix regia flower and Peltophorum pterocarpum matured pods suppressed germination (45.00 and 60.00%), shoot length (13.87 and 13.39 cm), root length (4.27 and 10.49 cm), seedling vigour index-I (624.15 and 803.40) and seedling vigour index-II (960.75 and 948.00) respectively in green gram. This might due to presence of inhibitory chemicals in flowers of Delonix regia and matured pods of Peltophorum pterocarpum compared to other plant parts of trees.</div>

<div>Inhibitory Effect of Aqueous Extracts of Tree-legumes on Germination and Seedling Growth of Food Legume, Green Gram (Vigna radiata L.)</div>

Grain and forage legumes occupy a special agronomic position through symbiotic biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and favourable residual effects on soil fertility, yet legume-specific nutrient- and soil-fertility management is often addressed piecemeal rather than as an integrated system. This review synthesises agronomic and soil-fertility knowledge on legume-based systems, including BNF and rhizobia-legume symbiosis, cereal-legume intercropping and rotation, integrated and site-specific nutrient management, biofertilizer and PGPR technologies, organic amendments and residue management, soil organic carbon dynamics and precision nutrient management through digital tools, for the major pulse and oilseed-legume crops of India. Legumes vary widely in their capacity to supply soil nitrogen, typically deriving 60-70% of it from atmospheric sources and contributing 15-125 kg N/ha/season, depending on rhizobial compatibility, soil nitrate status and moisture. Intercropping with cereals generally raised system productivity by about 30-35%, while balanced P, S and micronutrient application, compatible microbial inoculation and integrated nutrient management sustained productivity while cutting chemical fertiliser dependence by up to 25%. These responses are agro-ecologically dependent rather than universal; priority research areas include site-specific nutrient calibration, inoculant-soil compatibility, quantification of residue effects on subsequent crops and digital decision-support tools for legumes. Wider adoption of legume-centred, integrated soil-fertility management, supported by precision-agriculture tools, offers a practical means toward more resilient, input-efficient and environmentally friendly cropping systems, especially for rainfed smallholder agriculture. 
&nbsp;

Approaches for Fertility Management in Legume-based Cropping Systems: A Review

<div>Background: Bio-recycling of crop residues is contemplated as an environment friendly soil enrichment and conservation practice that sustains agricultural productivity in the long run. Legume residues are privileged by the unique nitrogen fixing capacity and rhizospheric properties that enhance soil fertility, thereby reducing the need for chemical nutrient inputs. The present study was conducted to evaluate the residual effect of red gram on fodder maize cultivated as succeeding crop in the southern laterites of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, India. 
 
Methods: The field experiment to assess the effect of red gram residue incorporation on the growth and yield of fodder maize was carried out in the Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala during June - August 2019. Fodder maize (African tall) was sown in the plots after incorporation of crop residues of red gram varieties (APK 1 and Vamban (Rg) 3) grown under different planting geometry (40 cm x 20 cm and 60 cm x 30 cm) and NPK doses (40:80:40, 30:60:30 and 20:40:20 kg NPK ha-1) and compared with the package of practices recommendation and in randomized block design (RBD) replicated thrice.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Significantly higher quantities of red gram residues were realised and incorporated in the treatments involving a planting geometry of 40 cm x 20 cm and an NPK dose of 40:80:40 kg NPK ha-1 in both varieties used, Vamban (Rg) 3 and APK 1 (T7 and T1).&nbsp; Nutrient contents in the residues and decomposition in T1 and T7 resulted in the maximum additions in soil, available N, P and K status and dehydrogenase activity. Evaluation of the residual effects of the legume on fodder maize revealed the significantly highest growth and yields in maize raised with chemical fertilizers as per package recommendation and, among the residue incorporated treatments, maximum plant height and fodder yields were recorded in the treatment in which residues of Vamban (Rg) 3 raised at 40 cm x 20 cm spacing and fertilised with 40:80:40 kg NPK ha-1&nbsp; were incorporated, on par with variety APK 1 raised under same management practice. The green fodder yield with residue incorporation was 80-90 per cent that under chemical fertilizer managed treatment. Among the quality parameters, crude protein (9.30%) was the highest with chemical fertilizer application while carbohydrate content (66.23%) was the lowest.</div>