EFFECT OF MICRONUTRIENTS IN COMBINATIONS WITH ORGANIC MANURES ON PRODUCTION AND NET RETURNS OF SESAME (SESAMUM INDICUM) IN BUNDELKHAND TRACT OF UTTAR PRADESH

Abstract

A field experiment were conducted during kharif season of 2005 and 2006 to study the effect of micronutrients in combination with organic manures on production of sesame at C.S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology Crop Research Farm, Mauranipur, Jhansi. Two organic manures viz., farmyard manure (2.5 tonnes/ha) and need cake (0.5 ton/ha), and two micronutrients viz., zinc sulphate (20 kg/ha) and ferrous sulphate (25 kg/ha) were added with full recommended dose of fertilizer (40:20:20:30 kg NPKS/ha). The pooled results revealed that the treatments applied with 100% of the recommended NPKS fertilizer along with micronutrients and organic manure recorded significantly higher growth and yield attributing characters, seed yield and net returns over half of the recommended dose of fertilizer (20:10:10:15 kg NPKS/ha) coupled with micronutrients and organic manure. Combined use of zinc sulphate and ferrous sulphate along with farmyard manure mixed with 100% recommended dose of fertilizer exhibited a pronounced effect on the growth characters viz., number of branches/plant and dry weight/plant, and yield attributes viz., number of capsules/plant, seed weight/plant and test weight, The seed yield and net returns were significantly influenced by the same treatment, which resulted 29.7 and 37.2% increase, respectively, over 100% recommended NPKS fertilizer alone. The same treatment also registered the highest net return/ rupee of investment (Rs 1 .85). The individual application of zinc and iron along with farmyard manure ranked next places in all respects. Among the treatments having only organic manures with chemical fertilizers, the over all performance of farmyard manure was the best.