Maize production, economics and soil productivity under different organic ource of nutrients in eastern himalayan region, India

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 aICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Arunachal Pradesh Centre, Basar, India-791 101

2 bCentral Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthpurum, Kerala, India-695 017

Abstract

Replenishing nutrients through organic sources is essential to maintain the soil
health and sustainability in Eastern Himalayan Region, India which is organic by
default. Keeping this in mind an experiment was laid out on randomized block
design with six treatments viz., T1: Vermicompost (VC; 2.5 Mg ha-1), T2: Poultry
manure (PM; 1.25 Mg ha-1), T3: Swine manure (SM; 3.0 Mg ha-1), T4: Cow dung
manure (CDM; 10.0 Mg ha-1), T5: Farm yard manure (FYM; 10.0 Mg ha-1) and
T6: control and replicated thrice to study the effect of applied organic nutrients on
growth and yield attributes of maize. The physical parameters like porosity,
maximum water holding capacity (MWHC), field capacity (FC), permanent wilting
point (PWP), bulk density (BD) and moisture releasing pattern was measured better
when the crop was supplied with FYM followed by CDM. Chemical parameters
like pH, Soil organic carbon (SOC), available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and
potassium (K) were recorded better on VC followed by PM over control. The
growth, physiological parameters, yield attributes and yield were recorded higher
on VC. The uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was higher on VC
followed by PM, whereas least nutrients were taken up by control. Similarly the
gross and net return was recorded higher on VC followed by PM, whereas, B: C
ratio was recorded higher on PM followed by CDM. However the lowest economic
returns were recorded on control. Agronomic efficiency was recorded higher on
VC followed by PM.
Keywords: Maize; Organic sources; Growth; Yield; Economics; Soil properties.

Keywords

International Journal of Plant Production
Volume 7, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
March 2013
Pages 167-186

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