Effect of integrated nutrient-management practices on improvement in grain quality of soybean (Glycine max), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) in multiple cropping systems in Vertisol

A field experiment was conducted during 2000 and 2001 at the Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, to explore the possibility of increasing oil yield and nutritionally superior quality grains as influenced by integrated nutrient management under 3 cropping systems, viz soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]-wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori & Paol.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]-wheat and soybean-sorghum-wheat. Among different combinations of organic and inorganic, application of 75% NPK + 5 tonnes farmyard manure/ha recorded the highest protein (34.93%), oil yields (17.87%) and mineral content (4.93%) in soybean, and highest protein (9.90%) and mineral (1.66%) contents were obtained in sorghum, both in intercropping as well as in sole cropping, though these were at par with other organically treated plots (phosphocompost and poultry manure) and 100% NPK plot. Intercropping system as such had no influence on nutritional quality in both soybean and sorghum. However, wheat grains produced under legume-cereal cropping system (soybean-wheat) accumulated higher carbohydrates (71.8%), proteins (12.2%), methionine (1.48g/16gN) and tryptophan content (1.37g/16gN) as compared to grains produced under cereal-cereal cropping system (sorghum-wheat).