INFLUENCE OF VERTICAL TILLAGE AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ON MOISTURE CONSERVATION AND PERFORMANCE OF GROUNDNUTGREENGRAM SEQUENCE
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Date
2017
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted on sandy clay loam soil of Dry
land farm of Sri Venkateswara Agricultural College, Tirupati campus of
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh, during kharif,
2015 and 2016 and rabi 2015-16 and 2016-17, to study the “Influence of
vertical tillage and nutrient management on moisture conservation and
performance of groundnut-greengram sequence”. The treatments consisted
of four tillage practices in main plots viz., conventional tillage (M1), deep
ploughing with disc plough upto a depth of 30 cm (M2), vertical tillage with
subsoiler upto 40 cm depth at 1 m interval (M3) and vertical tillage with
subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) and five nutrient management
practices in sub plots viz., control (S1), 50 % RDF (S2), 75 % RDF (S3), 100 %
RDF (S4) and 125 % RDF (S5). The experiment was laidout in a split-plot
design with three replications.
Soil physical property viz., bulk density was significantly lower and
aggregate stability was significantly higher with vertical tillage with subsoiler
upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) compared to other tillage practices.
Whereas, aggregate stability was higher with 125 % RDF (S5) with no
significant disparity with rest of the nutrient management practices tried.
Soil chemical properties viz., pH, electrical conductivity and organic
carbon were not significantly influenced by both tillage and nutrient
management practices during both the years of experimentation.
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Among the four tillage practices evaluated, growth characters of
groundnut viz., plant height, leaf area index, total dry matter production,
SPAD chlorophyll meter reading and relative leaf water content were
significantly higher with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at
1 m interval (M4) compared to rest of the tillage practices. Lower values of
these growth parameters were registered with conventional tillage (M1).
Among the nutrient management practices tested, significantly higher
plant height, leaf area index, total dry matter production, SPAD chlorophyll
meter reading and relative leaf water content of groundnut were recorded with
125 % RDF (S5), while all these growth parameters were significantly lower
with control (S1).
Available soil moisture content at different depths were significantly
higher with the vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval
(M4) compared to rest of the tillage practices at all stages of observations.
Minimum soil moisture content was observed with conventional tillage (M1).
Among nutrient management practices maximum and minimum soil moisture
content was recorded with control (S1) and 125 % RDF (S5), respectively
during both the years of study.
Days to 50 per cent flowering and maturity of groundnut were
minimum with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval
(M4) and these parameters were maximum with conventional tillage (M1). The
minimum and maximum number of days to 50 per cent flowering and
maturity were registered with control (S1) and 125 % RDF (S5), respectively.
Root growth parameters viz., root length, root fresh and dry weight of
groundnut were significantly higher with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto
60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) compared to rest of the tillage practices.
Lower values of these growth parameters were registered with conventional
tillage (M1). Among nutrient management practices 125 % RDF (S5) recorded
higher root growth parameters, while these were lower with control (S1).
Number of pegs plant-1
and total number of pods plant-1
of groundnut
were significantly higher with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth
at 1 m interval (M4), while lower values were recorded with conventional
tillage (M1). Maximum and minimum number of pegs plant-1
and total pods
plant-1 were recorded with 125 % RDF (S5) and control (S1), respectively.
The tillage practice of vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 40 cm depth
at 1 m interval (M3) resulted in significantly higher values of filled pods
plant-1
, hundred pod and kernel weight, shelling percentage and harvest index
of groundnut, compared to other tillage practices tried. Lower values of these
characters were produced with conventional tillage (M1). Higher values of the
above parameters were recorded with 100 % RDF (S4), while lower values
were recorded with control (S1).
Higher pod yield was obtained with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto
40 cm depth at 1 m interval (M3) followed by vertical tillag
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upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4), deep ploughing with disc plough (M2)
and conventional tillage (M1) with a significant disparity between any two of
them. Higher pod yield was obtained with 100 % RDF followed by 75, 125,
50 % RDF and control with a significant disparity between any two of them.
Oil yield of groundnut showed the similar trend as that of pod yield with same
magnitude. There was no significant influence of tillage and nutrient
management practices on oil content of groundnut.
Vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4)
resulted in higher haulm yield, while it was lower with conventional tillage
(M1). Among the nutrient management practices tried, haulm yield was
increased with increasing fertilizer dose from control to 125 % RDF and
higher haulm yield was obtained with 125 % RDF (S5).
Quality parameters viz., protein, total carbohydrates, total free amino
acids in groundnut was maximum with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto
60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) while it was minimum with conventional
tillage (M1) with no significant disparity among tillage practices studied
during two years of experiment. Among the different nutrient management
practices tested, maximum and minimum values of above mentioned quality
parameters in groundnut was recorded with 125 % RDF (S5) and control (S1),
respectively.
Total microbial mass in soil at harvest of groundnut crop was higher
with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4)
while, it was minimum with conventional tillage (M1) practice. Among
nutrient management practices tried, higher total microbial mass in soil was
recorded with 125 % RDF (S5) while it was lower with control treatment (S1).
Maximum gross and net returns and benefit-cost ratio of groundnut
cultivation were obtained with vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 40 cm depth
at 1 m interval (M3) followed by vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm
depth at 1 m interval (M4), while minimum values were registered with
conventional tillage (M1) which was significantly lesser than rest of the tillage
practices tried during both the years of experiment. Among different nutrient
management practices tried, maximum gross and net returns of groundnut
cultivation was registered with 100 % RDF (S4) followed by 75 % RDF (S3)
while minimum gross, net returns were obtained with control (S1) in both the
years of study. Maximum benefit-cost ratio was computed with 75 % RDF
(S3), while minimum benefit-cost ratio was observed with control (S1).
Among tillage practices investigated in two years study, vertical tillage
with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) recorded higher nutrient
uptake by groundnut as well as post harvest nutrient availability in soil.
Minimum nutrient uptake as well as nutrient availability after harvest of
groundnut was observed with conventional tillage (M1) during both the years
of experiment. Among nutrient management practices tested, 125 % RDF (S5)
recorded higher nutrient uptake by groundnut as well as post harvest nutrient
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availability in soil. Minimum nutrient uptake as well as post harvest nutrient
availability in soil was observed with control (S1).
There was no significant residual effect of both tillage and nutrient
management practices on succeeding crop of greengram in producing plant
height, dry matter production, number of clusters plant-1
, number of pods
plant-1
, number of seeds pod-1
, thousand seed weight, seed yield and haulm
yield as well as gross returns, net returns and benefit-cost ratio of greengram
cultivation during both the years of experimentation. Nutrient uptake by
greengram at harvest and availability of nutrients after harvest of greengram
were not influenced by residual effect of tillage and nutrient management
practices during two years of study.
Groundnut equivalent yield and system productivity was significantly
higher with tillage practice of vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 40 cm depth
at 1 m interval (M3) during both the years of experiment. Among the nutrient
management practices tested during both the years of experimentation,
maximum groundnut equivalent yield was recorded with 100 % RDF (S4)
which was significantly higher than rest of the treatments.
There was no significant interaction effect between tillage and nutrient
management practices studied in two years experimentation.
During both the years of experimentation, gross returns, net returns and
benefit-cost ratio of groundnut-greengram sequence were maximum with
vertical tillage with subsoiler upto 40 cm depth at 1 m interval (M3) in
combination with 100 % RDF (S4) while minimum gross returns, net returns
and benefit-cost ratio were computed with conventional tillage (M1) at control
(S1).
Net gain in soil available nitrogen was higher with vertical tillage with
subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) at 125 % RDF (S5) and lower
with conventional tillage (M1) at 50 % RDF (S2). Vertical tillage with
subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) at control (S1) recorded higher
net gain in soil available phosphorous while, there was a loss in soil available
phosphorous under conventional tillage (M1) at 125 % RDF (S5). Positive
change in balance of soil available potassium was registered under vertical
tillage with subsoiler upto 60 cm depth at 1 m interval (M4) at control (S1)
during both the years of study. A net loss in soil available potassium during
both the years of experimentation was observed with conventional tillage (M1)
at 125 % RDF (S5).
The present investigation revealed that vertical tillage with subsoiler
upto 40 cm depth at 1 m interval (M3) in combination with 100 % RDF (S4)
was productive, conservative and remunerative for groundnut-greengram
sequence, while significant residual effect of tillage and nutrient management
practices on succeeding greengram crop was not observed on sandy clay loam
soils of Southern Agro-climatic Zone of Andhra Pradesh
Description
D5498
Keywords
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