Effect of integration of inorganic and organic sources of fertilizers on the yield and economics of rice cultivation var. CR1009

Abstract

The complimentary role of organics as supplements to chemical fertilizers is important for keeping the soil healthy in order to harness the potential yield in rice. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out during the cropping year of 2020-2021 to ascertain the impact of inorganic and organic source fertilizers integration on rice production's yield and its economics in Cauvery deltaic region of Tamil Nadu. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. The experiment comprised of eight treatments viz., T1 - RDF + 12.5 t FYM ( Farmer's practice), T2 - Vermicompost @ 5 t/ha + RDF, T3 - Coirpith compost @ 5 t/ha + RDF, T4 - Pressmud compost @ 5 t/ha + RDF, T5 - Poultry manure compost @ 5 t/ha + RDF, T6 - Goat manure compost @ 5 t/ha + RDF, T7 - Bone sludge compost @ 5 t/ha + RDF and T8 - Sewage sludge compost @ 5 t/ha + RDF was applied to see the effect of integration of both organic and inorganic sources of fertilizers on the yield and economics of rice (CR1009) cultivation. The present study's findings showed that the integrative application of vermicompost @ 5t ha-1 along with 100 per cent recommended dose of fertilizers (T2) excelled all treatments and gave significantly increased grain yield of 5792 kg ha-¹ with a value of 37 per cent over control and benefit-cost ratio of 3.45. The integrated application of Vermicompost @ 5tha-1 along with 100 per cent recommended dose of NPK registered the highest values in yield attributes, yield and economic returns in rice.