INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMIENT IN PEARLMILLET [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend. Stuntz] UNDER MIDDLE GUJARAT CONDITIONS
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Date
1998
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AAU, Anand
Abstract
The field experiment was conducted at the College Agronomy Farm, B.A. College of Agriculture, Gujarat Agricultural University, Anand during kharif season of 1996 to study the integrated nutrient management in pearlmillet under middle Gujarat conditions. The soil of the experimental plot was loamy sand in texture having good drainage with 7.48 pH. It was deficient in nitrogen (0.023%), medium in available phosphorus (51.00 kg P2O5 ha-1) and high in available potash (338.20 kg K20 ha-1). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with four replications. Following twelve treatments were evaluated in the experiment. dose of nitrogen (100 kg N ha-1) was applied fro. different sources (farmyard manure, castor cake, poultry manure and urea) in treatment 1 to 11. while in treatment 12 recommended dose of 80 kg N ha-1 was applied. The growth characters studied during the course of investigation such as plant height, leaf area index and dry matter accumulation showed significant improvement due to castor cake application. Perusal of these data in general indicated that the maximum growth was achieved by the application of castor cake based on soil test value (100 kg N ha-1). At grand growth stage (60 DATP), higher value of LAI was found under application of nitrogen (100 kg N ha-1) in form of urea as per soil test value. However, it was at par with application of castor cake (100 kg N ha-1). The yield attributes and yield viz., number of total and effective tillers per plant, earhead length and diameter, grain yield per plant and per hectare, grain : straw ratio, harvest index as well as weight of 1000 grain were significantly improved by N (100 kg N ha-1) applied through urea as per soil test value, while straw yield per plant and per hectare was found to be higher with the application of N (100 kg N ha-1) through castor cake. Lower values of yield attributes and yield were noted under FYM application. Among different bio-chemical parameters chlorophyll content in fresh leaf at 45 DATP and protein content in grain at harvest were significantly increased by application of urea either alone or in proportion of 75% with castor cake + FYM. Crop maturity was considerably delayed with the application of FYM, while it was hastened with castor cake. Looking to the economics of various treatments, application of N (100 kg N ha-1) through urea as per soil test value accrued maximum net realization of Rs. 4666 ha-1 as well as BCR (1 : 1.76). Among different treatments involving integration of organics and fertilizer, 25% N supplied through castor cake (12.5%) + FYM (12.5%) and 75% N through urea was next to urea alone in yield and third from economics view point. From the foregoing results, it is pertinent that pearlmillet variety GHB-15 gave the highest yield as well as net returns when it was fertilized through urea (100 kg N ha-1) as per soil test value under middle Gujarat agroclimatic conditions.
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AGRONOMY, AGRICULTURE, A STUDY