Response of Levels of Inorganic Fertilizer with Organic Manure on Potato in Aquic Hapludoll of Himalayan Foothills

Abstract

Response of nutrient addition from combined sources like fertilizers and farmyard manure on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) was studied in aquic Hapludoll in Uttarakhand. In the beginning, fertility gradient was established by growing an exhaustive crop, maize cv. Shweta. A test crop, potato cv. Kufri Jyoti was grown on the same site, where four levels of fertilizer nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and three levels of farmyard manure were randomly distributed in 24 plots and 3 fertility strips with a total of 72 plots. Multiple regression equations were made using quadratic model. Response type (+ - -) for the nutrients phosphorus and potassium followed law of diminishing return, while the response type (- + +) observed for nitrogen. Application of 100-150 kg of nitrogen, 0-50 kg of phosphorus, and 0-50 kg of potassium showed maximum response at middle doses of other nutrients. Tuber yield was positively correlated with applied fertilizer nutrient (0.702** with fertilizer nitrogen, 0.481** with fertilizer phosphorus and 0.476** with fertilizer potassium) and with soil test value of potassium (0.202*). These findings can successfully be used in the larger parts of Mollisol dominating areas as an effective guide of fertilizer application, because this is economically viable and suitable for the situation of resource constraint situation like in India and other countries having similar soil type.