APPRAISAL OF SOIL PROPERTIES OF SOLANUM MELONGENA L. TO DIFFERENT GROWTH CONDITIONS

Abstract

The response of brinjal plants to organic fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers under pot experiment investigated. This invivo experiment did in the Genetics and Plant Breeding Division of the Department of Botany, University of Calicut. Brinjal plants treated with three sources of organic fertilizers (vermicompost, groundnut cake and bonemeal), three sources of inorganic fertilizers (NPK 16:16:16, NPK 10:5:20 and urea) compared with control. The experimental design followed was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with twenty-ve replicates. Soil properties were analyzed by collecting the soil from nine representative samples from each treatment. The soil parameters such as the pH, electrical conductivity (mhos/cm), total organic carbon (%), total organic matter, total nitrogen, phosphorus (kg/ha), potassium (g/ha), manganese, sulphur, iron, zinc, copper and boron were analyzed. The results showed that the macro and micronutrient availability increased in organic fertilizer treatments. Vermicompost increased soil properties signicantly. The percentage of organic carbon increased in organic fertilizer treatments. The same result showed in the case of total organic matter. Groundnut cake treatment gave the highest organic matter (4.75). Total nitrogen was highest in bonemeal (0.95) and potassium was highest in vermicompost (330kg/ha). Phosphorous (48.33kg/ha) and sulphur (43.1mg kg-1) were recorded highest in bonemeal. The highest values of trace elements (25 mg kg-1for Fe in groundnut cake; 0.96mg kg-1Cu, 14mg kg-1 Mn, 5.1mg kg-1 Zn and 0.98 mg kg-1 B in vermicompost observed. Therefore, 38% of the increase in iron, 17.0% off copper,14.75% increase in manganese, 2.82% increase in zinc and 20.99% increase seen in boron.