Effect of organic manures and microbial inoculants superimposed over inorganic fertilizers on production and profitability of wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during two consecutive winter seasons (rabi) of 2011–12 and 2012–13 to assess the response of superimposed nutritional levels consisting vermicompost @ 5 t ha−1, FYM @ 10 t ha−1, seed inoculation with Azotobacter and PSB, individually and in combination over recommended dose of fertilizers in wheat crop under irrigated condition. The response of fertility levels was analysed on growth characters, yield attributes and yield as well as economic parameters of normal sown wheat variety ‘PBW-502’. The integration of vermicompost, FYM, Azotobacter and PSB along with inorganic fertilizers dose in different treatments exhibited significant response in terms of increasing grain yield of wheat from 12.66 to 18.36 per cent and 16.21 to 27.90 per cent compared to the control, which recorded lowest 4.63 and 4.13 t ha−1 grain yield during 2011–12 and 2012–13, respectively. Plots receiving recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) + vermicompost 5 t ha−1 + Azotobacter and PSB as seed treatment and spraying at I and II irrigation recorded maximum grain yield (5.67 and 5.73 tha−1), straw yield (7.29 and 8.87t ha−1), gross income (87443 and97127 ha−1) and net income (37001 and 45462 ha−1) during 2011–12 and 2012–13, respectively