Evaluation of compost application for improving legumes yield and N2-fixation

Abstract

Composting is a biological process by which organic material is broken down and decomposed naturally. Compost from fruit and vegetable wastes (FVW) were prepared aerobically, analyzed and enriched with inorganic fertilizer and plant growth regulator (PGR). Therefore, experiments were conducted to determine the effect of prepared compost on the growth, yield and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) capacity of two legume crops; mash bean (Vigna mungo L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) under controlled and field conditions. Results show that compost application improved the yield, biomass and BNF capacity of both crops. The application of enriched compost at 3 g (600 kg ha-1) with N + P at 1 and 0.2 g (20 to 40 kg ha-1) and PGR at 0.6 ml 3 g-1 compost 10 kg-1 soil, enhanced the yield, biomass and BNF in soybean under controlled environment. There was an increase of 131% in BNF due to compost application in soybean. This increase in biomass and BNF in mash bean was also observed under field condition. The highest yield [biomass (1.61 t ha-1), grain yield (0.41 t ha-1) and BNF (51.09 kg ha-1)] was obtained with the application of compost at 1000 kg ha-1. The enrichment of compost with PGR and inorganic fertilizer improved its quality for environment friendly crop production on sustained basis. Key words: Compost, enrichment, legumes, yield, biological nitrogen fixation.