Prospect and importance of green mulching on the soil status of tropical tasar plantation fields in India

The soils of tropical tasar plantation fields in general are sloppy and are primarily deficient of nutrition due to top soil erosion and constant leaf productivity exploitation to rear tasar silk insect, Antheraea mylitta Drury. The rainfed field of Terminalia tomentosa (W&A) plantation has been evaluated for soil fortification with green mulching through legumes, Sun hemp (Crotalaria juncea), Daincha (Sesbania aculeata), Green gram (Vigna radiatus) and Black gram (Vigna mungo) during rainy season. The mulching has enhanced the water holding, moisture retention, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) and reduced the bulk density and pore space of soil. Among the legumes, Sun hemp has shown higher improvement of water holding (56.9%), moisture content (68.5 & 37.9%) at 30 and 45 cm depth, electrical conductivity (0.30 mhos/cm), bulk density (1.12g/ cm3), pore space (50.4%), organic carbon (0.61%), nitrogen (109 kg/ha) and potassium (254 kg/ha) of the soil, and could augment the leaf yield of tasar food plant with 24.8 MT/ha. The study infers the prospect and importance of green mulching in tasar food plantation in improving the physico chemical nature and fertility status of soil to attain optimal leaf yield in T. tomentosa food plant.