Evaluation of Different Soil Textures in Combination with Growing Media on Growth, Yield, and Water Productivity of Blackgram

Abstract

ABSTRACT The production and productivity of blackgram (Vigna mungo) are very poor and one of the important reasons is that it is cultivated on marginal lands having low soil fertility and under rainfed conditions without assured irrigation. The present study was aimed to evaluate the different growing media in soil types having varying soil texture and its impact on the growth and yield of blackgram. A pot culture experiment was conducted in split plot design with four texture of soils (S1: Loamy, S2: Clay, S3: Sand and S4: Pure sand) as the main plots and five growing media (G1: Cocopeat, G2: Vermiculite, G3: Vermicompost, G4: Sawdust, G5: Hydrogel and G6: Control) as the subplots. The results of the experiment revealed that growing of blackgram in sandy soil texture with application of cocopeat recorded significant improvement in growth parameters viz., plant height, root length, leaf area index (LAI), nos. of root nodules plant−1. The same treatment resulted in significantly higher yield attributes such as number of pods plant−1 (49.3), grain yield (1126 kg ha−1), water use efficiency, water productivity and benefit cost ratio over other texture of soils with growing media and control. These results confirmed that suitable moisture conservation practice for sandy soils in rainfed areas coupled with suitable growing media ensures higher blackgram productivity per unit of water used.