Balanced crop nutrition with mid-season foliar fertilization enhances productivity, profitability and partial factor productivity in rainfed castor (Ricinus communis)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka to study the effect of balanced crop nutrition with mid-season foliar fertilization on productivity, profitability, and partial factor productivity of rainfed castor (Ricinus communis L.) during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2019–20. Significantly higher seed yield (1,604 kg/ha) was observed with 30, 30, 15 and 20 kg N, P2 O5 , K2 O and ZnSO4 through soil followed by foliar application of 2% water-soluble 19 : 19 : 19 at 40 days after sowing which gave 11.38 and 54.37% higher yield over 50, 50 and 25, i.e. 125% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) and 40, 40 and 20 (100% RDF) kg N, P2 O5 , K2 O/ha respectively. Foliar application of 2% 19 : 19 : 19 enhanced partial factor productivity (PFP). Higher gross returns (`75,425/ha), net returns (`46,042/ha) and benefit : cost ratio (2.57) were also higher with 30, 30, 15 and 20 kg N, P2 O5 , K2 O, ZnSO4 /ha through soil, followed by foliar application of 2% water-soluble 19 : 19 : 19 at 40 DAS. Therefore, integration of soil and foliar application of plant nutrient looks to be feasible nutrient-management modules of castor in boosting the crop productivity. Further, this nutrient-management module was validated in 50 farmers’ fields with large plot study (0.4 ha) showed 92.26% hike in yield (746 kg/ha) over farmers’ practice (388 kg/ha).