Effect of organic sources and nutrient levels on the growth, yield and economics of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Abstract

Indiscriminate use of inorganic fertilizers has bought threat to soil health in respect to physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the usage of inorganic fertilizers by substituting with organics. It is well established fact that the improvement in quality and productivity of the crops could be made possible with combined application of organic sources and balanced chemical fertilizers. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during rabi 2021-22 at College of Agriculture, UAS, Raichur to study the effect of organic sources and nutrient levels on growth, yield and economics of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Eighteen treatment combinations were evaluated which consisted of three organic sources and six nutrient levels. The experiment was laid out in Factorial RBD design with three replications. The results indicated that among organic sources, application of FYM @ 5 t /ha recorded significantly higher growth parameters viz., plant height (85.95 cm), total dry matter accumulation (121.59 g/plant), seed yield (1467 kg/ha) and stalk yield (2216 kg /ha). Further this treatment recorded higher gross returns (Rs. 80,699/ha) and net returns (Rs. 51247/ha) compared to other treatment. Among the different nutrient levels, SSNM (STCR equation) + micronutrients Zn @ 25 kg/ha + S @ 10 kg/ha showed significant effect on growth parameters and seed yield (1508 kg/ha) as compared to other treatment. Moreover, the combination registered higher gross returns (Rs. 82,964/ha) and net returns (Rs. 54,540/ha) compared to other nutrient levels.