Browsing by Author "Usha, K E"
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ThesisItem Open Access Effect of growing environment and climate change on growth and yield of cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)] under organic management(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research Vellanikkara, 2017) Abishna, P V; KAU; Usha, K EThe study entitled “Effect of growing environment and climate change on growth and yield of cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)] under organic management” was carried out at the Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during 2016-2017. The experiment consisted of two growing environments (poly hose and rain shelter) and four dates of sowing (1st, 11th, 21st June and 2nd July). The biometric, phenological and yield parameters were significantly influenced by the growing environments and date of sowing. The crop sown inside the poly house recorded the highest length of vine (565 cm), number of leaves (83) and number of flowers (60). Early flowering (36 days) and more duration (86.6 days) was also observed under poly house. The crop sown inside the rain shelter had the highest number of fruits (54), fruit weight per plant(9.53 kg), average fruit weight (177 g), early harvest(60 days), number of harvest (12) and yield (31.6 t/ha). The crop sown on 1 June showed early flowering, more number of fruits per plant, weight per plant, number of harvest and yield both in rain shelter as well as poly house. The crop sown on 11th June recorded the highest length of vine inside the poly house. The crop sown on 21 June had the highest number of flowers and early harvest inside the rain shelter whereas the duration was extended in poly house. The crop sown on 2nd July number of leaves in rain shelter whereas the number flowers and early harvest was observed in poly house. The highest N, P and K (170 kg/ha, 116.5 kg/ha and 520 kg/ha) and organic carbon (3.12%) were also found the soil under rain shelter after the experiment. The highest bacterial (45.95× 106cut ml-1) and fungal (76× 106cfu ml- 1 ) population was observed inside the rain shelter. Actinomycetes could not be detected either in poly house or in rain shelter. With respect to the micro climate, the highest maximum temperature, minimum temperature, soil temperature and relative humidity were observed inside the polyhouse throughout the crop season. The highest soil moisture content and PAR was observed inside the rain shelter. The results of the present study revealed that growing environment and date of sowing has significant influence on growth and yield of cucumber. Rain shelter is a potential method to maintain the micro climate in favor of cucumber growth and yield. Rain shelter growing and sowing on 1st June had a significant impact on realizing the highest yield parameters and yield in cucumber compared to poly house growing and other dates of sowing.ThesisItem Open Access Influence of crop geometry on the growth and yield of rice variety jaya(Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1985) Usha, K E; KAU; Balakrishnapillai, PInfluence of crop geometry on the growth and yield of rice variety 'Jaya'. An experiment was conducted in the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi during the second crop season of 1983 to study the influence of crop geometry on the growth and yield of rice variety 'Jaya'. The experiment was laid out in split plot with three replications. The treatments consisted of six treatment combinations of two levels of spacing between plants (20 x 15 cm, 20 x 10 cm) and three levels of spacing between alleys (80 cm, 160 cm and 240 cm apart) in the main plot and four levels of crop orientation (north-South, East-West, diagonal planting North East-South West and diagonal planting North West-South East) in the sub plot. Observations on weather factors such as temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, sunshine hours, wind velocity and evaporation were recorded daily. Crop growth characters like height, number of tillers, leaf area index were recorded at different stages of development of the crop and yield components like number of productive tillers, length of panicle, and yield of girth and straw were noted during the harvest. The day time variation of albedo was also measured at frequent intervals. N-S oriented crop was significantly superior to others with regard to crop growth characters as well as yield components. Height, number of tillers, number of productive tillers, length of panicle and number of grain per panicle were influenced by the 20 x 15 cm spacing while the 20 x 10 cm spacing showed the maximum drymatter production, maximum thousand grain weight and highest value of grain and straw yields. The grain yield was not significantly influenced by the alley treatments. It was found that proper spacing and orientation had significant effect on overall growth and yield of the crop. Highest grain yield was recorded in plots with N-S orientation and with 20 x 10 cm spacing. The best performance is attributed to more effective utilisation of solar radiation with the uniform exposure of plants to sunlight. The albedo measurements were also higher over the closely spaced and N-S oriented plots indicating the better growth and performance of the crop. Results of the present investigation indicate that rice in Kerala during the second crop season can be grown most successfully if planted at a spacing of 20 x 10 cm and oriented in N-S direction.ThesisItem Open Access Integration of nutritional inputs for improving rice productivity in laterite soils(Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2003) Jinappa, Halingali; KAU; Usha, K EA study on "Integration of nutritional inputs for improving nee productivity in laterite soils" was taken up during 2001-2003 at the College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara The experiment consisted of 17 treatments including two sources of organic manure and two levels of nutrition with combinations of lime and silica to develop a cost effective, high yield and sustainable production technology for rice by identifying the components of good management. The treatment .receiving poultry manure with 90 kg ha" of fertilizer N and 500 kg ha" of silica recorded the maximum height productive tillers, •number of spikelets per panicle and thousand grain weight which . contributed to the maximum grain yield 0[7004 kg ha". An increase in 1680 kg grain yield and 1087 kg straw yield than the package of practices recommendation of Kerala Agricultural University appear to be due to the application of Silica, substitution of cow dung by the poultry manure and increased dose of N with an organic: inorganic ratio of 1 :2.25, increased dose ofK and reduced dose ofP. Cow dung contains Fe, Zn and Cu in toxic levels to rice. Poultry manure has the content of these elements in far less quantities but has higher Ca content . which helps in reducing the uptake of unfavourable elements by the rice plants. Increase in'the level of K application @120 kg ha' has recorded 1387 kg ha" more grain than the present recommendation of 35 kg ha" and the uptake of K by the plants are far above the applied levels. This suggests that the present recommendation of35 kg ha' ofK has to be enhanced up to 120 kg ha" to prevent the soil degradation. It is also seen that the rice plants absorb only around 20 kg P and hence the P recommendation can be reduced from 35 kg to 20 kg ha". There was no apparent effect when lime and silica were applied together but individually they could improve the yield. The number of weeds and the incidence of pests and disease were less in thetreatment plots, which revealed the influence of soil ameliorants in impa~ing resistance in the rice pants. TIle. results of the present study indicate that the failure of rice plants to respond to higher doses of fertilizer N, appears to be because of the unfavourable organic: inorganic' ratio. A ratio of 1 :2.25 was found to be beneficial to nullity the unfavourable chemical effects of fertilizer N.ThesisItem Open Access Mulching for soil quality, climate stress mitigation and crop productivity in okra(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research Vellanikkara, 2016) Anjali Mohan; KAU; Usha, K EGlobal warming and climate change is the greatest concern of mankind in 21st century. Under changing climatic scenarios crop failures, reduction in yields, reduction in quality and increasing pest and disease problems are common and they render the vegetable cultivation unprofitable. Various crop management practices such as mulching and the use of shelters and raised beds help to conserve soil moisture, prevent soil degradation, and protect vegetables from heavy rains, high temperatures and flooding. These protective coverings reduce evaporation, moderate the soil temperature and reduce soil run-off and erosion. A study entitled “Mulching for soil quality, climate stress mitigation and crop productivity in okra” was carried out at the Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during 2015-2016. The experiment consisted of 9 treatments. Mulching with leaf litter, paddy straw, coir pith, black and white embossed sheet, black and silver embossed sheet, newspaper, coir chips, un mulched control and live mulch (cow pea). The biometric and phenological parameters were significantly influenced by the treatments. The plots mulched with plastic sheets showed early germination and higher germination percentage. The highest plant height and maximum number of leaves recorded were in plots mulched with black and silver embossed sheet. Plants mulched with paddy straw flowered earlier (38.33 DAS) and the highest number of flowers (25.66) was recorded in plots mulched with black and silver embossed sheet. In general, mulching with plastic sheets promoted early harvesting and highest crop duration. The highest yield (14.41 t/ha) was observed in plots mulched with black and silver embossed sheet. The soil microbial count was significantly influenced by the treatments. The highest population of bacteria (52.33 × 106cfu g-1) and actinomycetes (171.00 × 105cfu g-1) were observed in plots mulched with paddy straw whereas, the highest population of fungi (22.67 × 104cfu g-1) was observed in plots mulched with leaf litter. With regard to the soil microclimate, the peak value of minimum soil temperature at different depths was recorded in the plots mulched with plastic sheets. The peak value of maximum soil temperature at different depths is observed under plots mulched with black and silver embossed sheet followed by mulching with newspaper. The lowest value of maximum soil temperature at different depth was observed under plots mulched with paddy straw (T2). Higher soil moisture content was recorded under plots mulched with paddy straw throughout the crop period. Plots mulched with coir pith and coir chips also maintained higher moisture content at surface. The results of the present study revealed that mulching has significant influence on soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Mulching with black and silver embossed sheet maintained the soil microclimate which inturn helped to improve the growth and yield of okra.ThesisItem Open Access Nutrient management in organic farming of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)(Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2014) Rasmi, Krishnan V; KAU; Usha, K EA study on “ Nutrient management in organic farming of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) was carried out in the Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2012-2013. The experiment consisted of 13 treatments including different combinations of organic manures and supplements, package of practices recommendation by KAU, inorganics alone and control to develop a nutrient management strategy in organic farming of cucumber. The variety AAUC-2 was used for the study. The organic manures viz., FYM, poultry manure, vermi compost, neem cake and liquid organic manures viz., Beejamrutham, Jeevamrutham, Panchagavyam and fish amino acid were the sources of nutrients. All the treatments receiving FYM as basal dose along with seed treatment with azospirillum, phosphate solubilizing bacteria and Pseudomonas have shown early germination and seedling vigour. Growth parameters like length of vine, number of leaves, number of branches were significantly influenced by the treatments. The treatment receiving poultry manure + N P K recorded the maximum vine length on 45 DAS followed by poultry manure + Beejamrutham + Jeevamrutham + mulching. Highest number of leaves was produced by poultry manure +fish amino acid treated plants followed by poultry manure + panchagavyam treated ones. The number of branches was also significantly higher in poultry manure + fish amino acid treated plots. The LAI was significantly higher in poultry manure + panchagavyam treated plants. The flowering was early as 27 DAS in the treatment receiving poultry manure + fish amino acid against 38 days in N P K alone treatment and 47 days in the absolute control. The fruits could be harvested from the treatment receiving poultry manure + fish amino acid on 35 DAS followed by that receiving poultry manure + beejamrutham + jeevamrutham + mulching. Yield and yield attributes like number of fruits per plant, mean fruit weight were also significantly influenced by the application of different organic manures. Highest number of fruits/plant and weight of fruits were observed in Adhoc Package of practices. Highest yield of 53.94 t ha-1 was recorded in plots receiving Adhoc package of practices recommendations by KAU (Organic farming) which was 5.5 t more than the present package of practices recommendations by KAU. The total productive period of the crop was higher in organically treated plots. The period extended up to 98 days in the treatment receiving poultry manure + fish amino acid as against 77 days in N P K applied plots. The highest shelf life of 8.5 days was also recorded for the same treatment. With regard to the soil microbial count at different intervals of crop growth, the treatment receiving jeevamrutham and mulching resulted in the highest bacterial and fungal count where as the neem cake application resulted in the highest count of actinomycetes. All the micro organisms were minimum in the treatments receiving chemical fertilizers. Statistical analysis by Kendall’s test by ranks of the acceptability score revealed that there was significant variation among the treatments in the quality attributes of fruits. The highest score for appearance and colour was also recorded in the treatment receiving panchagavyam followed by the one receiving fish amino acid. The overall acceptability was also more for the fruits from the organically treated plots. The treatment receiving Adhoc POP was found to be significantly superior to other treatments in getting higher gross income, net return and B:C ratio followed by the present POPThesisItem Open Access Productivity and soil health of rice based cropping systems under organic management(Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2018) Rajanand Hiremath; KAU; Usha, K EThe study entitled “Productivity and soil health of rice based cropping systems under organic management” was conducted in the Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2015-2017 to find out the suitable rice based cropping system under organic management. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Rice was grown under four different cropping systems for two consecutive years with and without foliar spray of liquid organic manures (LOMs). The rotations followed were rice-rice-njavara rice, rice-rice-salad cucumber, rice-rice- vegetable cowpea, rice-rice-amaranthus and rice-rice-fallow. The management practices were followed as per the Package of practices recommendations: (Ad hoc) for organic farming: Crops of the Kerala Agricultural University. Jeevamrurtham, Panchagavyam, green leaf extract and fish amino acid were the liquid organic manures sprayed at 15 days intervals after transplanting. The growth and yield parameters of all the crops were found to be better with the application of liquid organic manures. All the crops performed well in the second year due to the significant effect of crop diversification, residual effect of manures applied for the preceding crop and the improvement in soil health. There was significant reduction in the number of weeds, pests and diseases associated with rice due to crop rotation under organic management. Rice-rice-salad cucumber with and without LOMs produced significantly higher rice equivalent yield (29.58 and 24.67 t ha-1 respectively) and system productivity (81.03 and 67.58 kg ha-1 day-1 respectively) than rest of the sequences. Better sustainability yield index was recorded in rice-rice-vegetable cowpea with LOMs (0.26) followed by the same system without LOMs (0.20). With 300% cropping intensity, rice-rice-salad cucumber with and without LOMs recorded higher gross return (11,20,180/ 9,57,423 ₹ ha-1 respectively) and net return 237 (7,25,126/ 5,74,416 ₹ ha-1 respectively) compared to rice-rice-fallow with 200% cropping intensity (3,27,039 ₹ ha-1 gross return and 1,72,539 ₹ ha-1 net return). Among the sequences, the B:C ratio was found to be the highest in rice-rice-vegetable cowpea with and without LOMs (2.99 and 2.76 respectively). The soil characters were also significantly influenced by the treatments. The decreasing trend in bulk density is an indication of improvement in porosity and water holding capacity of the soil in the long run. Rice-rice-vegetable cowpea with LOMs recorded the highest organic carbon (1.46%), available N and P content (192.04 and 71.11 kg ha-1 respectively) while rice-rice-salad cucumber with LOMs had the highest available K content (332.78 kg ha-1). Total microbial biomass (bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes) and dehydrogenase activity were found to be the highest with rice-rice- vegetable cowpea with and without LOMs followed by rice-rice-salad cucumber with and without LOMs. The highest soil health index was registered by rice-rice-vegetable cowpea with and without LOMs (3.34 and 3.00 respectively) followed by rice-rice- amaranthus. The study revealed that foliar application of liquid organic manures enhanced the soil health and productivity of rice as well as other crops grown in rotation. Rice-rice- salad cucumber was found to be the best rice based cropping system with maximum net return, whereas rice-rice-vegetable cowpea system improved the soil physical, chemical and biological properties and thus sustained the soil health.ThesisItem Open Access Quality assessment of organic manures and their effect on okra(Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2018) Santhiya, K; KAU; Usha, K EThe present study entitled “Quality assessment of organic manures and their effect on okra” was conducted in the Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2017-2018 to evaluate the properties of organic manures, and their effect on soil quality and crop productivity. The physical, chemical and biological properties of organic manures viz., cow dung (desi), cow dung (cross bred), buffalo manure, goat manure, chicken manure, pig manure, elephant dung, horse manure, quail manure and vermicompost were studied in the first experiment. The moisture content was the highest in cow dung (cross bred) and quail manure (80%). All the manures were neutral to alkaline with a pH ranging from 7.3 to 8.6 and the electrical conductivity ranged from 0.01 to 0.16 dS m-1. Values for the highest organic carbon and C: N ratio were recorded in elephant dung (49.12 and 98:1). The N, P and K content of organic manures showed significant variation among the treatments. Rabbit manure and vermicompost recorded the highest N (1.8%), while the highest P content was found in pig manure (0.8%), and highest K content in rabbit manure (1.3%). The highest population of bacteria was found in chicken manure (35.00 x 104 cfu g-1), while quail manure had the highest fungal population of 17.00 x 103 cfu g-1.The presence of Escherichia coli was detected in cow dung (desi and cross bred), chicken manure, pig manure and quail manure. Heavy metals like Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, As and Hg were within the safe limit. Mercury and arsenic exceeded the FCO specifications in goat, rabbit, pig and quail manure. Therefore, these manures could be used in smaller quantities, instead of bulk application in field. The heavy metal contents of animal manures depend mainly on the feed consumed and the efficiency of feed conversion by the animals. The activity of IAA and dehydrogenase was found to be the highest in vermicompost (17.5 g-1 soil day-1 and 18.11 TPF g-1soil day -1). Based on the results of experiment I, all the manures were used for the second experiment to study their influence on soil quality, growth and yield of okra. All the manures were applied as basal dose so as to give N equivalent to that in FYM @ 20 t ha-1. All the other management practices were adopted as per the Adhoc POP recommendation for organic farming: crops (KAU, 2009) except for Kerala Agricultural University (Package of practices recommendation) and control. Application of organic manures increased the water holding capacity of soil by three per cent whereas there was no significant variation in bulk density. The increase in pH was the highest in chicken manure treated plots. The organic carbon and available NPK content in soil increased in all the plots supplied with organic manures. The total bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes populations were found to be high in all the treated plots as compared to control. Traces of Ni and Pb were observed in the soil after the experiment. Basal application of chicken manure @ 6.9 t ha-1 recorded the highest number of leaves at 60 DAS (26), total dry matter production at last harvest (5.3 t ha-1), number of fruits (26.3), weight of fruits per plant (451.79 g), number of seeds per fruit (65) as well as yield (25.24 t ha-1), resulting in the highest gross and net returns and B: C ratio (2.34). The lowest crude fibre content (8.4%) in fruits was observed in vermicompost applied plots. The results revealed the advantage of application of all the common organic manures since the quality parameters are according to the specifications prescribed in the FCO. Application of chicken manure and vermicompost improved the soil quality, growth and yield of okra.ThesisItem Open Access Shelf life of liquid organic formulations(Department of Agronomy,College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2016) Rameeza, E M; KAU; Usha, K EThe study entitled “Shelf life of liquid organic formulations” was carried out in the Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2015 - 2016. The objectives were to find out the shelf life of liquid organic formulations by analyzing the chemical and biological properties, and the effect of duration of storage of these formulations on growth and yield of cucumber variety. There were two experiments viz., influence of ageing on quality of liquid organic formulations and influence of shelf life of Jeevamrutham and Panchagavyam on growth and yield of cucumber variety Pusa Uday. The first experiment consisted of 11 treatments where Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham were stored for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks. The fresh preparations as well as the stored formulations were analyzed for various parameters. The fresh preparation of Panchagavyam was light green with fruity smell whereas that of Jeevamrutham was moderate green with mild foul odour and became darker green and brownish green respectively with foul odour at the end of storage. The surface mould growth and maggots were observed in Panchagavyam only. An increasing trend in pH and EC of Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham was noticed during the period of storage. Among the treatments, 20 weeks old preparation of Panchagavyam recorded the highest nitrogen content of 0.21 per cent. There was no significant variation in nitrogen content of Jeevamrutham on storage and was in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 per cent. In general, P content of liquid organic formulations decreased while K content slightly increased during storage. Mg and S content was slightly improved due to ageing. The micronutrients Fe, Mn and Zn were detected in both the liquid organic formulations. The total microbial population viz., fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes were significantly influenced by the storage period. The highest fungal population was noticed in 20 weeks old Panchagavyam and 24 weeks old Jeevamrutham. Bacterial count was the highest in 12 weeks old Panchagavyam and 16 weeks old Jeevamrutham. The highest population of actinomycetes was observed in 12 weeks old Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham. All the treatments of Panchagavyam were free from Escherichia coli whereas it was detected in some of the treatments of Jeevamrutham, The field experiment consisted of 7 treatments including four best treatments selected based on the results of first experiment (12 and 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham and 24 and 20 weeks old Panchagavyam), water spray, commercial organic formulation and package of practices recommendations, KAU. Organic manures were applied in cucumber plots as per the package of practices recommendations (ad hoc) for organic farming: Crops in all the treatments except T7. Weekly foliar spray of liquid organic formulations was started 20 DAS. The biometric observations were recorded at 30 and 60 DAS. The available nutrient content (NPK) and total microbial population of soil were significantly improved with the application of liquid organic formulations. The treatment receiving 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham registered the highest available soil N (245.02 kg ha-1) and K (343.02 kg ha-1). The highest population of fungi (6.25 x 104cfu g-1), bacteria (110.83 x106cfu g-1) and actinomycetes (26.83 x105cfu g-1) was also detected in soil receiving 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham. Application of Jeevamrutham contributed the highest number of fruits per plant (11.08), volume of fruits per plant (3320.68 cm3), weight of fruits (3.32 kg plant-1) and yield (28.92 Mg ha-1) resulting in maximum gross return, net return and B: C ratio (3.05). The results of the present investigation revealed the possibility of storing panchagavyam up to six months and Jeevamrutham up to five months without quality deterioration. Foliar spray of Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham has proved to promote the yield of cucumber.ThesisItem Open Access Shelf life of liquid organic formulations(College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2016) Rameeza, E M; KAU; Usha, K EThe study entitled “Shelf life of liquid organic formulations” was carried out in the Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2015 - 2016. The objectives were to find out the shelf life of liquid organic formulations by analyzing the chemical and biological properties, and the effect of duration of storage of these formulations on growth and yield of cucumber variety. There were two experiments viz., influence of ageing on quality of liquid organic formulations and influence of shelf life of Jeevamrutham and Panchagavyam on growth and yield of cucumber variety Pusa Uday. The first experiment consisted of 11 treatments where Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham were stored for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks. The fresh preparations as well as the stored formulations were analyzed for various parameters. The fresh preparation of Panchagavyam was light green with fruity smell whereas that of Jeevamrutham was moderate green with mild foul odour and became darker green and brownish green respectively with foul odour at the end of storage. The surface mould growth and maggots were observed in Panchagavyam only. An increasing trend in pH and EC of Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham was noticed during the period of storage. Among the treatments, 20 weeks old preparation of Panchagavyam recorded the highest nitrogen content of 0.21 per cent. There was no significant variation in nitrogen content of Jeevamrutham on storage and was in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 per cent. In general, P content of liquid organic formulations decreased while K content slightly increased during storage. Mg and S content was slightly improved due to ageing. The micronutrients Fe, Mn and Zn were detected in both the liquid organic formulations. The total microbial population viz., fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes were significantly influenced by the storage period. The highest fungal population was noticed in 20 weeks old Panchagavyam and 24 weeks old Jeevamrutham. Bacterial count was the highest in 12 weeks old Panchagavyam and 16 weeks old Jeevamrutham. The highest population of actinomycetes was observed in 12 weeks old Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham. All the treatments of Panchagavyam were free from Escherichia coli whereas it was detected in some of the treatments of Jeevamrutham, The field experiment consisted of 7 treatments including four best treatments selected based on the results of first experiment (12 and 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham and 24 and 20 weeks old Panchagavyam), water spray, commercial organic formulation and package of practices recommendations, KAU. Organic manures were applied in cucumber plots as per the package of practices recommendations (ad hoc) for organic farming: Crops in all the treatments except T7. Weekly foliar spray of liquid organic formulations was started 20 DAS. The biometric observations were recorded at 30 and 60 DAS. The available nutrient content (NPK) and total microbial population of soil were significantly improved with the application of liquid organic formulations. The treatment receiving 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham registered the highest available soil N (245.02 kg ha-1) and K (343.02 kg ha-1). The highest population of fungi (6.25 x 104cfu g-1), bacteria (110.83 x106cfu g-1) and actinomycetes (26.83 x105cfu g-1) was also detected in soil receiving 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham. Application of Jeevamrutham contributed the highest number of fruits per plant (11.08), volume of fruits per plant (3320.68 cm3), weight of fruits (3.32 kg plant-1) and yield (28.92 Mg ha-1) resulting in maximum gross return, net return and B: C ratio (3.05). The results of the present investigation revealed the possibility of storing panchagavyam up to six months and Jeevamrutham up to five months without quality deterioration. Foliar spray of Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham has proved to promote the yield of cucumber.ThesisItem Open Access Validation of liquid organic manures and their effect in crop productivity(Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2017) Dhanalakshmi, V N; KAU; Usha, K EThe study entitled “Validation of liquid organic manures and their effect on crop productivity” was conducted in the Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2016 - 2017 to find out the shelf life of fish jaggery extract and egg extract and their effect on growth and yield of okra. The study consisted of two experiments. The objective of the first experiment was to study the characteristics of two liquid organic manures, fish jaggery extract and egg extract, which were stored for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks. Fresh preparations as well as the stored samples were analyzed for various quality parameters. Both liquid manures were highly acidic in nature with pH values ranging from 3.05 to 3.33 in fish jaggery extract and 2.89 to 4.88 in egg extract. The N, P and K contents in fresh fish jaggery extract were 1.04 %, 0.042 % and 0.29 % and the corresponding values in fresh egg extract were 0.22 %, 0.006 % and 0.23 %. There was no change in N content of fish jaggery extract due to storage, while the highest N content in egg extract was observed in 6 weeks after storage (1.11 %). The highest P content was in 10 weeks old preparation of fish jaggery extract (1220 ppm) and 24 weeks old preparation of egg extract (440 ppm). Ten weeks (0.73 %) and two weeks old preparation (0.71 %) of fish jaggery extract and four weeks old egg extract (0.44 %) had higher K content. Secondary and micronutrients were also present in both liquid manures. The total microbial population viz., bacteria and fungi were significantly influenced by the storage period. The highest bacterial count was observed in 10 weeks old fish jaggery extract (27.33 x 102 cfu ml-1) and 6 weeks old egg extract (23.67 x 102 cfu ml-1). Fungal population was the highest in 12 weeks old fish jaggery extract (10.00 x 103 cfu ml-1) and 6 weeks old egg extract (27.67 x 103 cfu ml-1). Actinomycetes and Escherichia coli were absent in fish jaggery extract and egg extract, even at 24 weeks of storage. The second part of the study was a field experiment on “Effect of fish jaggery extract and egg extract on growth and yield of okra”. The treatments consisted of soil application of liquid organic manures (10 % solution @1 L/plant: T1, T2, T5 and T6), foliar spray (@ 0.2 %: T3, T4, T7 and T8), water spray (T9) and manuring and fertilizer application as per Package of Practices Recommendations, KAU (T10). Organic manures were applied as per the Package of Practices Recommendations (Ad hoc) for organic farming to all the treatments except in T10. Soil application of liquid organic manures was done at 20 DAS and foliar spray at fortnightly intervals (5 times) was started at 20 DAS. Soil application of two weeks old preparation of fish jaggery extract (10%) produced the highest number of leaves at 60 DAS (25.40), total dry matter production at final harvest (5.66 t ha-1), fruit yield per plant (403.54 g) as well as total yield (22.42 t ha-1) resulting in the highest gross return, net return and B: C ratio (2.33). The results revealed the possibility of storing fish jaggery extract upto one month and egg extract upto one and half month after preparation without quality deterioration. In field experiment, soil application as well as foliar spray of fish jaggery extract or egg extract helped to enhance the soil and crop productivity.