Exploring soil responses to various organic amendments under dry tropical agroecosystems

Abstract External input-based intensive agriculture practices have resulted in increasing food supply at the cost of considerable deterioration in soil quality and health. In addition, the release of various greenhouse gas emissions has also increased in recent years. For restoring soil health and productivity, and climate change mitigation, various organic amendments have been recommended for application in the soil. Depending upon the climatic variability, the soil responds differently to different amendments. Tropical agroecosystems are one of the extensively cultivated areas, and therefore, several studies dealing with agroecosystem responses have been performed under the present climate change scenario. In this chapter, we have explored the responses of the soil ameliorated with various organic amendments such as organic manure/compost, microbial fertilizers, vermicompost and biochar; and the impact of various amendments on soil physicochemical and biological properties. Moreover, soil respiration and microbial biomass under soils receiving these amendments have also been explored as the key indicators of soil viability. Overall, the chapter would provide a thorough understanding of the soil responses under different organic amendments in the present climate change scenario.