Vol. 7, Issue 2 (2019)
Impact of integrated application of vermicompost, farmyard manure and chemical fertilizers on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) performance and soil biochemical properties
Author(s): Renu Gupta, Sanjay Swami and AP Rai
Abstract: A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of organic manures viz. vermicompost and farmyard manure (FYM) in combination with inorganic fertilizers on yield, nutrient uptake by okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) and on soil biochemical properties in Inceptisol for consecutive two years. The treatments were: T1- control; T2 - 100% NPK alone; T3 - 100% NPK + 5 t FYM ha-1; T4 - 100% NPK + 10 t FYM ha-1; T5 - 100% NPK + 5 t vermicompost ha-1; T6 - 100% NPK + 10 t vermicompost ha-1. The highest yield of okra was recorded under T6 during both the years. The treatments with the same quantity of vermicompost recorded higher yield in comparison to FYM. The application of FYM @ 10 t ha-1 (T4) recorded 15 and 17% increase in fruit yield of okra over 100% NPK (T2) during 2012 and 2013, respectively, whereas vermicompost @10 t ha-1 (T6) recorded 33 and 34% increased fruit yield. Furthermore, yield of okra obtained with 5 t vermicompost ha-1 plus 100% NPK (T5) during both the years was at par with that received under 10 t FYM ha-1 plus 100% NPK (T4) demonstrating superiority of vermicompost over FYM. Application of vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1 (T6) also increased N uptake over 100% NPK alone (T2) by 64 and 68% by okra during both the consecutive years, respectively. The corresponding increase in P uptake was 108 and 88% whereas in case of K, it was 85 and 128%. The highest soil available N, P and K content was observed with T6, as 300, 27.7 and 340 kg ha-1. The treatment T6 also increased organic carbon content over 100% NPK treated plots (T2) by 61%. Microbial population increased by 147% cfu × 10-4 and 72% cfu × 10-4 in T6 over control and T2, respectively. Soil microbial biomass varied considerably among treatments and ranged from 43 to 146 mg kg-1. The highest microbial biomass was recorded in T6 with 74% increase over control. Phosphatase activity exhibited increasing trend with the application of both FYM and vermicompost and the highest value was observed in T6. NPK fertilizers recorded significantly higher phosphatase activity and it increased by 27% over control, but it was almost similar with vermicompost at 5 t ha-1 (T5). Use of chemical fertilizers alone i.e. 100% NPK exhibited a lower dehydrogenase activity compared with conjoined use of inorganic and organic treatments.
Pages: 1714-1718 | 553 Views 171 Downloads
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How to cite this article:
Renu Gupta, Sanjay Swami, AP Rai. Impact of integrated application of vermicompost, farmyard manure and chemical fertilizers on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) performance and soil biochemical properties. Int J Chem Stud 2019;7(2):1714-1718.
