STUDIES ON THE INFLUENCE OF NITROGEN LEVELS AND HERB HARVESTS ON GROWTH, YIELD AND QUALITY OF FENUGREEK (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)
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Date
2015-06
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University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot. (College of Horticulture, Bengaluru).
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of nitrogen levels and herb harvests on growth, yield and quality of fenugreek cv. Ajmer fenugreek-1 during 2014-15 at the Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic crops, College of Horticulture, UHS campus, GKVK, Bengaluru. The treatments comprised of 3 levels of nitrogen (25, 40 and 55kg N/ha) and different harvesting practices (no cut, single cutting at 35DAS and double cuts at 35 and 60DAS).
Among the nitrogen levels, application of nitrogen at 55kg per hectare recorded maximum values for all the growth, yield and quality parameters such as plant height, number of branches per plant, fresh and dry herb yield, number of pods per plant, pod length, number of seeds per pod, test weight, seed yield, biological yield, straw yield, harvest index, NPK content and uptake and crude protein. However, delayed flowering and maturity was observed with the same dose. Similarly, uncut plants recorded the maximum values for all the growth and yield parameters recorded and resulted in early flowering and maturity.
Highest fresh herb yield of 2710.7kg per ha was recorded with nitrogen at 55kg per hectare with two herb harvests. Whereas, maximum seed yield (1176.7 kg/ha) was recorded with nitrogen at 55kg per hectare and no herb harvest.
The results indicated that, fenugreek could be cultivated by applying 55kg N per hectare with a leaf crop at 35DAS and ultimately reaping the seed crop, as this practice gave maximum net profit with a B: C ratio of 2.11.