Soil Nutrient Status, Uptake, Yield and Economics of Groundnut- Wheat Cropping Sequence as Influenced by Organic Sources and Fertilizers

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted during kharif and rabi seasons from 2012-13 to 2014-15 at Agricultural
Research Station, Kasabe Digraj, Sangli, Maharashtra to study the effect of integrated use of different
organic sources and fertilizers on nutrient availability, uptake, yield and economics of groundnut-wheat
cropping sequence on an Inceptisol. The treatments during kharif for groundnut were general recommended
dose of fertilizer (GRD), 25% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through farmyard manure (FYM) +
75% RDN through chemical fertilizer (CF), 25% RDN through vermicompost (VC) + 75% RDN through
CF, 25% RDN through wheat straw + 75% RDN through CF, 25% RDN through wheat straw + 75% RDN
through CF + 100% P as rock phosphate (RP), 25% RDN through green leaf manuring+ 75% RDN through
CF +100% P as RP, jeevamrut, RP and control. In all treatments, groundnut seed was inoculated with
Rhizobium+phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) was applied to
soil except control. After harvesting kharif groundnut, the same plots were divided in two plots, and 75 and
100% of GRD was applied to succeeding rabi wheat. The results revealed that the application of GRD
recorded significantly higher pooled groundnut dry pod yield, which was at par with 25% RDN through VC
+ 75% RDN through CF + inoculation of Rhizobium + PSB + AMF. However, higher pooled N use
efficiency, net monetary returns and B:C ratio was reported under 25% RDN through vermicompost + 75%
RDN through CF + Rhizobium + PSB + AMF. Application of GRD to kharif groundnut and wheat crop
recorded higher pooled grain yield and straw yield of wheat. Application of 75% GRD to wheat recorded
higher pooled B: C ratio in wheat. The highest soil available N, P, K and total uptake of N, P and K by
crops were recorded with application of GRD to groundnut and wheat. Application of 25% RDN through
VC and 75% RDN through CF and 50 kg P2O5 ha-1 along with seed inoculation of Rhizobium + PSB and
soil application of AMF to kharif groundnut and 75% GRD to succeeding wheat resulted in higher net
monetary returns and maintenance of soil fertility under groundnut-wheat cropping sequence.