Assessment of Integrated Application of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources for Soil Quality and Economics of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Production.

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]