Influence of nutrient-management practices and microbial inoculants on productivity and profitability of lowland rice (Oryza sativa) in Eastern Himalayas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59797/ija.v63i3.5665Keywords:
Economics, Lowland rice, Microbial inoculants, Nutrient management, YieldAbstract
A field study was conducted during the rainy (kharif) season of 2016 at Umiam, Barapani, Meghalaya, to find out the effect of different nutrient-management practices and microbial inoculants on yield-attributing characters, yield and profitability of lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Eastern Himalayas. The experiment consisted of 12 treatment combinations including 3 nutrient-management practices, viz. 100% organic, 100% inorganic [recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)] and integrated nutrient management (INM; 75% RDF + 25% FYM), in main plot and 4 microbial inoculation treatments, viz. control, Azospirillum, Azospirillum + phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), Azospirillum + PSB + zinc-solubilizing bacteria (ZnSB) in subplots. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with 3 replications. The yield-attributing characters, viz. tillers/m2, panicle length and filled grains/panicle were the highest with INM treatment, followed by inorganic and organic nutrient-management practices. Similar trend was observed in case of 1,000-seed weight, but it was at par with the other nutrient-management practices. The highest grain yield (4.27 t/ha) was recorded in INM, followed by inorganic (4.08 t/ha) and organic (3.65 t/ha) nutrient-management practice. Among the microbial inoculants, the highest yield was recorded in Azospirillum+ PSB + ZnSB treatment, followed by Azospirillum + PSB and Azospirillum treatment. The highest cost of cultivation ( 28,829/ ha) was recorded under organic nutrient management, while net returns ( 48,615/ha) were maximum in INM practice with combined application of Azospirillum+ PSB + ZnSB. Thus, INM (75% RDF and 25% organic inputs, i.e. FYM) and microbial inoculants could be used for higher productivity and profitability of lowland rice in Eastern Himalayas.
References
Alagappan, S. and Venkitaswamy, R. 2016. Impact of different sources of organic manures in comparison with TRRI practice, RDF and INM on growth, yield and soil enzymatic activities of rice–greengram cropping system under site-specific organic farming situation. American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 10(2): 1–9.
Arif, M., Tasneem, M., Bashir, F., Yaseen, G. and Iqbal, R.M. 2014. Effect of integrated use of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on yield and yield components of rice. Journal of Agricultural Research 52(2): 197–206.
Das, A., Patel, D.P., Munda, G.C., Ramkrushna, G.I., Kumar, M. and Ngachan, S.V. 2014. Improving productivity, water and energy use efficiency in lowland rice (Oryza sativa) through appropriate establishment methods and nutrient management practices in the mid-altitude of north-east India. Experimental Agriculture 50(3): 353–375.
Meena, R.K., Singh, Y.V., Lata, A., Kumar, A. and Bana, R.S. 2014. Effect of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria inoculation on plant growth, productivity and economics of Basmati rice. Egyptian Journal of Biology 16(1): 45–50.
Rose, M.T., Phuong, T.L., Nhan, D.K., Cong, P.T., Hien, N.T. and Kennedy, I.R. 2014. Up to 52% N fertilizer replaced by biofertilizer in lowland rice via farmer participatory research. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 34(4): 857–868.
Shahane, A.A., Singh, Y.V., Kumar, D., Prasanna, R. and Chakraborty, D. 2013. Effect of planting methods and cyanobacterial inoculants on yield, water productivity and economics of rice cultivation. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (JARTS) 116(2): 107–121.
Tiwari, V.N., Lehri, L.K. and Pathak, A.N. 1989. Effect of inoculating crops with phospho-microbes. Experimental Agriculture 25: 47–50.
Vaid, S.K., Kumar, B., Sharma, A., Shukla, A.K. and Srivastava, P.C. 2014. Effect of Zn solubilizing bacteria on growth promotion and Zn nutrition of rice. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 14(4): 889–910.
Yadav, D., Singh, Y.V., Kumar, D., Gaind, S. and Kumar, A. 2015. Influence of sources and rates of phosphorus on plant growth, productivity and economics of aerobic rice (Oryza sativa). Indian Journal of Agronomy 60(1): 157–159.
