Search

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a popular warm season vegetable used for salads and grown throughout the world under tropical and subtropical conditions. The use of synthetic fertilizers for cucumber production over an extended time period can improve the productivity but consecutively deteriorates soil health. Therefore, with the hypothesis that for an extensive evaluation of different nutrient sources, its influence on the soil health and economics of a crop needs to be quantified critically; a comprehensive study was carried out on cucumber cv. K-75 in a randomized block design with three replications during kharif seasons of 2018 and 2019. The experiment comprised nine treatments of different nutrient sources including organic manures alone and in conjugation with the inorganic fertilizers. Application of RDF + FYM @ 100 q ha−1 (T2) produced 50.22% higher yield over control i.e. T1 and registered the highest available soil NPK content (303.5, 122.3, and 407.9 kg ha−1, respectively) as well as B:C ratio (4.0). From the present investigation, it can be concluded that RDF + FYM @ 100 q ha−1 can be recommended to farmers for maintaining soil fertility and obtaining higher yields. It could be a cost-effective nutrient management module on a sustainable basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was carried out on onion cv. Nasik Red in a randomized block design with three replications. The experiment comprised of nine treatments of different nutrient sources including organic manures and inorganic fertilizers. The effects of organic manures (farmyard manure, vermicompost and jeevamrut) alone and in conjugation with inorganic fertilizers on growth, nutrient uptake and yield of onion were studied. Integrated use of inorganic fertilizers and organic manure significantly influenced plant growth, yield and nutrient uptake by crop. The results showed that highest number (7.4) and length of leaves (36.6 cm), bulb size (19 cm2), NPK uptake (122.5, 16.7 and 67.4 kg ha−1, respectively) and biological yield (441.9 q ha−1) was recorded under T2 i.e., RDF + FYM @ 250 q ha−1. Increment in biological yield under T2 was 69.2% over control. Our results could provide a better understanding of the importance of inorganic fertilizers plus organic manure in maintaining soil fertility and thus enhancing nutrient uptake and crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]