V.K. Paulpandi, V. Ganesaraja and M.P. Kavitha. Department of Agronomy, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai , India ABSTRACT

Transcription

1 Legume Res., 31 (3) : , 2008 STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF INSITU MOISTURE CONSERVATION AND INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF SUNFLOWER (HELIANTHUS ANNUS L.) IN RAINFED VERTISOL V.K. Paulpandi, V. Ganesaraja and M.P. Kavitha Department of Agronomy, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai , India ABSTRACT Field experiments were conducted on vertisols during North East monsoon season of and under rainfed condition to study the effect of insitu moisture conservation and integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of sunflower. The experiments were laid out in split plot design with three replications. Main plot consisted of three different insitu moisture conservation methods, whereas in sub plots integrated nutrient management practices were taken. The experimental results revealed that sowing of sunflower on broad bed and furrow in combination with application of 75% N through inorganic + 25% N through CCP + Azophos + 0.2% boron spray favourably increased the growth and yield attributes which in turn increased the seed and stalk yield of sunflower. Magnitude of increase of seed yield of sunflower was of 22.1 to 26.4 per cent over RDN as inorganic fertilizer application. Similarly the increase in grain yield in BBF was 27.3 to 30.0 per cent over flat bed method. INTRODUCTION India occupies a premier position in global scenario accounting for 19 per cent area and 9 per cent production which has undergone a dramatic change in recent years, wherein the oil seed sector becomes a net foreign exchange earner leading to yellow revolution. Among the oil seeds, sunflower gained importance due to its special features such as short duration, photoperiod insensitivity, drought evidence, and fast recovery for drought stress, adaptability to wide range of soil climatic conditions, lower seed rate and high seed multiplication ratio. The sunflower seeds have a high oil content (40-50 per cent), which is a high quality cooking oil because of low saturated and high polyunsaturated fatty acids in lowering down the level of harmful serum cholesterol property (Giriraj,1988). The major constraint for lower productivity of crops in dry land is the inadequacy of the soil moisture and poor fertility status of the soil. The land configurations are site specific and lead to a yield advantage of about per cent over control at any given level of productivity (Venkateswarlu, 1987). Appropriate land configurations such as broad bed and furrow and compartmental bunding hold great promise for insitu conservation of soil, water and plant nutrients. The combination of organic waste like composted coirpith and chemical fertilizers plays a key role in modern dryland agriculture in increasing the productivity of crops and sustained management of soil fertility and inturn soil health. MATERIAL AND METHODS The field experiments were conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Regional Research Station (RRS), Aruppukottai, Tamil Nadu during North East monsoon season of and under rainfed condition. The soils of the experimental fields were medium deep, well drained, vertisol (Typic Chromusterts) with a ph of 8.5 in both the seasons. The soil was low in available N (192.5 and kg ha -1 ), low in available P (7.32 and 9.0 kg ha -1) and high in available K (358.7 and kg ha -1 ) during and

2 respectively. Sunflower variety Co 4, released by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University was selected for this study. The experiments were laidout in split plot design with three replications. Main plot consisted of three treatments viz,. - Flat bed, - Compartmental bunding and - Broad bed furrow. The subplot consisted of eight treatments viz., - Recommended dose of nutrients 40:20:20 kg N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O ha -1 through inorganic fertilizers, - 100% N through composted coirpith (CCP), - Recommended dose of nutrients (RDN) as inorganic fertilizers + 0.2% boron foliar spray at ray floret stage and 10 days after first spray, - 100% N through CCP + 0.2% boron foliar spray at ray floret stage and 10 days after first spray, - 75% N through inorganic fertilizer + 25% N through CCP + Azophos (seed and soil application), - 75% N through inorganic fertilizers + 25% N through CCP + Azophos (seed and soil application) + 0.2% boron foliar spray at ray floret stage and 10 days after first spray, - 50% N through inorganic fertilizer + Vol. 31, No. 3, % N through CCP + Azophos (seed and soil application) and - 50% N through inorganic + 50% N through CCP + Azophos (seed + soil application) + 0.2% boron foliar spray at ray floret stage and 10 days after first spray. Land management methods (insitu moisture conservation methods) were carried out in respective plots as per the treatment schedule. The plot size of 6.0 x 4.5 m was uniformly adopted for all insitu moisture conservation methods. The CCP was incorporated basally after forming land management methods but before levelling of the field. Coirpith was decomposed at RRS, Aruppukottai farm by adopting the methodology given by Nagarajan et al. (1987). Organic manure (CCP) to substitute 100 or 50 or 25 per cent nitrogen was worked out based on N content for individual application as per treatment schedule. Recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers such as 40 kg N as urea, 20 kg P as single super phosphate and 20 kg K as muriate of potash Table 1. Effect of insitu moisture conservation methods and on growth attributes of sunflower at harvesting stage (pooled data of two years) Treatments Plant height Leaf Area Dry matter (cm) Index production (kg ha 1 ) Insitu moisture conservation methods Flat bed CB BBF SEd CD (P=0.05) % RDN CCP at 100% N % RDN + 0.2% B CCP at 100% N + 0.2% B % N inorg. + 25% N CCP + Azophos % N inorg. + 25% N CCP + Azophos + 0.2% B % N inorg. + 50% N CCP + Azophos % N inorg. + 50% N CCP + Azophos + 0.2% B SEd CD (P=0.05)

3 176 LEGUME RESEARCH Table 2. Effect of insitu moisture conservation methods and on soil moisture content (%) at 45 cm depth of sunflower (pooled data of two years) Treatments 25 DA5 DA5 DAS Harvest Insitu moisture conservation methods Flat bed CB BBF SEd CD (P=0.05) % RDN CCP at 100% N % RDN + 0.2% B CCP at 100% N + 0.2% B % N inorg. + 25% N CCP + Azophos % N inorg. + 25% N CCP + Azophos + 0.2% B % N inorg. + 50% N CCP + Azophos % N inorg. + 50% N CCP + Azophos + 0.2% B SEd CD (P=0.05) ha -1 were applied as basal manure. Calculated quantity of organic manure to substitute 100 or 50 or 25 per cent of recommended N along with inorganic source of fertilizers as per the treatment schedule was also applied as basal. All the treatments received a uniform dose of 20 kg P 2 O 5 and 20 kg K 2 0 ha -1 as basal through inorganic fertilizers. 2 kg ha -1 was mixed with 50 kg fine sand and applied near the base of the sunflower plants at 30 DAS as per the treatment schedule. Solubor (Na 2 B 4 O 7 5H 2 O + Na 2 B 10 O H 2 O) was used as boron source. It contains 20 to 21 per cent boron. As per the treatment schedule 0.2 per cent boron was sprayed at ray floret stage and the second spray on 10 days after first spray. Observations on all the growth and yield attributes were taken. The capitulum s of border plants on all the sides of the plot were harvested first and then net plots were harvested separately and dried. Threshing of the capitulum s was done manually and seeds were separated, sun dried and the yield was recorded. Data on soil moisture content was estimated by gravimetric method at 25, 45, 65 DAS and at harvest in 0-15, and cm depth during both the years of study. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Growth attributes : All the treatments exerted a distinct effect on growth attributes of sunflower (Table 1). Among insitu moisture conservation methods, sowing on broad bed and furrow (BBF) treatment ( ) recorded the higher plant height (156.1 cm), maximum LAI (4.27) and maximum DMP (5393 kg ha -1 ) at harvesting stage. (Table 1). The favourable moisture situation created in BBF might have increased more moisture and nutrient uptake by the sunflower crop with the help of increased root growth resulted in increased plant height as reported by Tumbare and Bhoite (2000). The BBF method of insitu moisture conservation could produce more DMP of 15 to 26 per cent increase over flat bed method. The reason for obtaining more DMP in BBF might be due to the availability of required moisture status. Among integrated nutrient management practices (INM), application of 75% N through inorganic + 25% N through CCP + Azophos + 0.2% boron spray ( ) recorded higher plant

4 Vol. 31, No. 3, Table 3. Effect of insitu moisture conservation methods and on yield attributes and yield of sunflower (pooled data of two years) Treatments Head Number of Seed stalk diameter filled seeds yield yield (cm) head 1 kg ha -1 kg ha -1 Flat bed CB BBF SEd CD (P=0.05) % RDN CCP at 100% N % RDN + 0.2% B CCP at 100% N + 0.2% B % N inorg. + 25% N CCP + Azophos % N inorg. + 25% N CCP + Azophos + 0.2% B % N inorg. + 50% N CCP + Azophos % N inorg. + 50% N CCP + Azophos + 0.2% B SEd CD (P=0.05) height (155.9 cm), maximum LAI (4.45) and maximum DMP (5962 kg ha -1 ) at harvesting stage. The reason might be due to better availability of moisture with the help of CCP application which retained more quantum of moisture in the soil. The above treatment combination of inorganic and organic source with biofertilizer had a greater effect in enhancing the release of nutrients from the soil complex with the help of increased activity of beneficial microorganisms resulted in more uptake of nutrients by sunflower crop for its normal metabolic activities. Soil moisture content : Data on soil moisture content was estimated at 25, 45, 65 DAS and at harvest in 0-15, and cm depth during both the years of study. In general, soil moisture content increased with increase in soil depth. Among insitu moisture conservation methods, at 45 cm soil depth, BBF method ( ) registered higher soil moisture content of 34.2, 23.1, 16.3 and 15.1 per cent at 25, 45, 65 DAS and at harvest. (Table 2) This might be attributed due to the better collection of rain water in the furrows and absorption of rain water in the broad bed and furrow with the help of horizontal movement of water from furrow to the inner layer of broad bed and furrow during dry spell period. This type of enrichment of moisture could help to maintain the soil moisture content for better crop growth and yield in BBF. (Anonymous 1981). Regarding the nutrient management practices, 100 % N substitution ( ) registered higher soil moisture content of 34.5, 23.2, 16.3, 15.4 per cent at 25, 45, 65 DAS and at harvest. CCP applied at 100% N substitution recorded higher percentage of soil moisture content followed by INM practice of 50% N through inorganic + 50% N through CCP + Azophos. This might be due to higher moisture holding capacity of coirpith as reported by Ramaswami and Sree Ramulu (1983). The higher moisture retention capacity of coirpith might be due to its high carbonaceous nature (Mayalagu et al., 1983). Yield attributes and yield : Regarding the yield parameters and seed yield, the BBF method ( )

5 178 LEGUME RESEARCH resulted in higher head diameter (14.5 cm), increased number of filled seeds head -1 (428), seed yield (983 kg ha -1 ) and stalk yield (3388 kg ha -1 ). (Table 3). Favourable yield attributing characters obtained in BBF was due to unrestricted moisture status in the soil for better accumulation and translocation of assimilates from stem and leaves to sunflower head coupled with required nutrient uptake by the crop. Among different tried, application of 75% N through inorganic + 25% N through CCP + Azophos + 0.2% boron spray ( ) registered higher head diameter (14.9 cm), increased number of filled seeds head -1 (446),seed yield (1082 kg ha -1 ) and stalk yield ( 3493 kg ha -1 ). In the present study the inclusion of CCP in the promising INM of 75% N through inorganic + 25% N through CCP + Azophos + 0.2% boron spray combination helped to retain more rain water in the soil to a greater extent possible and produced more seed yield of 22.1 to 26.4 per cent over RDN as inorganic fertilizer application. This finding is in conformity with the results of Kavitha and Swarajya Lakshmi (2002). An interaction effect of broad bed and furrow combined with INM practice of 75% N through inorganic + 25% N through CCP + Azophos + 0.2% boron spray registered higher seed yield of 1193 kg ha -1. The favourable maintenance of soil moisture status and nutrient availability by the incorporation of CCP in addition to biofertilizers and inorganic fertilizers application contributed to the appreciable increase in growth parameters reflected in increasing yield attributing characters. (Sivamurugan, 1998). REFERENCES Anonymous. (1981). Annual Report of International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. Patancheru, Hyderabad. Giriraj, K., (1988). In: National Seminar on Strategies for Making India Self reliant in Vegetable Oils, September 5-9, Hyderabad. Kavitha, P and Swarajya Lakshmi. G. (2002). J. Oilseeds Res. 19 : Mayalagu, K., et al. (1983). In: Proc. of National Seminar on Utilization of Organic Wastes. Tamil Nadu Agrl. University, AC&RI., Madurai, Nagarajan, R., et al. (1987). Coirwaste in Crop Production. Bulletin unpublished, Centre for Soil and Crop Management Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and Central Coir Research Institute, Coir Board, Kalavoor. Ramaswami, P.P. and Sree Ramulu.U.S. (1983). In: Proc. National Seminar on Utilisation of Organic Wastes. (Ed. U.S.Sree Ramulu), March Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. pp Sivamurugan. (1998). M.Sc.(Ag.) Thesis, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore Tumbare, A.D. and Bhotie, S.V. (2000). Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. Dev., 15: Venkateswarlu, J. (1987). Adv. Soil Sci., 7: