~ 616 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal 2021; 10(9): 616-621 ISSN (E): 2277- 7695 ISSN (P): 2349-8242 NAAS Rating: 5.23 TPI 2021; 10(9): 616-621 © 2021 TPI www.thepharmajournal.com Received: 16-07-2021 Accepted: 18-08-2021 Juhi Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India YK Singh Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Anshuman Kohli Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Avinash Sarin Saxena Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Laxman Ram Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Pooja Kumari Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Gopal Kumar Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Rajeev Padbhushan Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Corresponding Author: YK Singh Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Soil properties in rice-based cropping systems as influenced by fertigation levels in the eastern plains of Bihar Juhi, YK Singh, Anshuman Kohli, Avinash Sarin Saxena, Laxman Ram, Pooja Kumari, Gopal Kumar and Rajeev Padbhushan Abstract An experiment at Bihar agricultural college, Sabour Bhagalpur was carried out in split plot design with three fertigation levels of nitrogen in main plots (nitrogen @ 20, 40 and 60 kg ha -1 in rice with irrigation @ 200, 300 and 400 mm in post rice crops) and six rice-based cropping systems as subplot treatments (rice followed by either durum wheat, barley, linseed, chickpea, lentil, lathyrus) on the on-going experiment initiated from 2014. The findings of the research after four years of continuous fertigation and cropping systems practice was that they had no significant change in the soil properties such as pH, EC and bulk density at all the different soil depths considered (0-15 cm, 15-30 cm and 30-45 cm). Soil carbon content was increased with increasing nitrogen levels. The concentrations of available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were found to be vary among all the levels of fertigation as well as cropping systems and there was reduction in content with move to the lower soil depths. The higher values for all soil parameters were observed under nitrogen level of @ 60 kg ha -1 in rice through fertigation followed by 400 mm irrigation in post-rice crop compared to other levels of fertigation and cropping systems. Finally, it can be concluded that fertigation and cropping systems had non-significant on soil properties even after four cropping cycles; however, there was slight increment in organic carbon status of soil. Keywords: Drip fertigation, cropping system, physico-chemical properties Introduction Most of the world observed land degradation due to intensive agriculture for maximum yield. Intensive agriculture has accelerated worsening soil factor such as soil erosion, depletion of nutrient, prompting soil structure deterioration and reduction of organic carbon. Rice ( Oryza Sativa) is the major stable food grain crop of India. Rice - wheat cropping system is widely practice in this country. This cropping system is predominant of North and Central India which is mainly concentrated in Indo- Gangetic plains. In some regions of eastern India, farmers grow lentil as second crop by broadcasting the seeds within the standing rice crop in well- moistened soils without any tillage 15-20 days prior to the harvest of rice (relay cropping) and obtain much less yield from lentil (Bandyopadhyay et al. 2016) [1] . In the soil ammonia binding can be enhance by application of light irrigation water (Li et al. 2008) [11] . To take care of land fertility and land health for ampule of production and productivity, soil management is prime agenda in today’s scenario. In this regards sufficient practices for irrigation and fertilizer will be one of the suitable practices to maintain soil fertility by maintaining productivity and soil health. In this perspective fertigation (Irrigation and fertilizer application) is one tool. Application of fertilizer with irrigation system, lower the volatilization loss of ammonia. (Li et al. 2008) [11] applications of fertilizer by medium of irrigation is term Fertigation enhance efficiency (Biswas, 2010) [3] . It allow release of fertilizer in slow and limited amount to the soil rhizosphere, which influence plants for higher uptake as well as increasing the fertilizer use efficiency. Traditional system of fertilizer application is not enough for intensive cropping in present scenario. Hence, in rice based cropping system fertigation not merely requirement for production of crops with quality rather also for maintaining physicochemical of soil and sustainability for environment. Materials and Methods The present investigation was conducted during the fourth rice crop in the system (Kharif, 2017). The experimental farm of Bihar Agricultural College, Sabour, Bhagalpur comes under