Effect of of integrated plant nutrient management on growth, yield and production economics of wet season rice (Oryza sativa)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during wet (khara seasons of 2000 and 2001 under red and lateritic soil at agricultural research farm, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan, West Bengal to assess the efficiency of vermicompost over farmyard manure in integrated nutrient management of rice (Or).;a sativa L. ) during wet season. Integrated nutrient management constituting vermicompost and farmyard manure in combinations with different doses of recommended fertilizer (60:30:30) were studied in relation to the performance of the crops under 100% recommended fertilizer dose alone. Results showed that reduction of 50% recommended dose of fertilizer along with vermicompost @ 10 tonneslha significantly influenced the growth and yield attributes of kharifrice as compared with 100% RFD and also under different combinations of farmyard manure and mineral nutritions. The highest grain and straw yields were obtained in crops under 5070 recommended fertilizer dose along with 10 tonnes vermicompost/ha which was significantly higher than 100% recommended NPK fertilizers. As per production economics is concerned the highest gross return was achieved from 50% recommended dose of fertilizer with 10 tonnes vermicompost/ha which was significantly higher than the treatments with 75% or 50% recommended dose of fertilizer along with 10 tonneslha farmyard manure. However. for net return and benefit: cost ratio these 3 treatments appeared to be at par. Such comparable economic benefits of integrated nutrient management of kharifrice with vermicornpost and farmyard manure in spite of considerable higher yields with vermicompost, were attributed to higher cost of vermicompost application as compared to farmyard manure. The study suggests nutrient concentration based application of vermicompost likely to be a more effective proposition than using this material on the basis of total weight, as is gencrally done for different organic manures.