Integrated Nutrient Management for Lentil Cultivation: Improving Soil Fertility, Nutrient Content, and Economic Returns

Abstract

Context: -Overuse of chemical fertilizers reduces soil fertility, which highlights the need to switch to integrated farming practices for sustainable growth. Purpose: – A field experiment was conducted to analyse the effects of various integrated nutrient management strategies on soil fertility generally, nutrient level fluctuations in the soil, plant uptake, and nutrient content and economic consequences in lentil farming. Method: – Eight different treatments representing various nutrient sources were used in the experiment, which used a Randomized Block Design. Each treatment had three replications. Result: – The results indicated that there was no significant difference among 8 different treatments for soil pH and EC. The available nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium in soil and content in straw and seed were found highest in T 8 while protein content in seed was also found highest in T 8 (24.85 %) followed by T 7 (24.50 %). But the economics of cultivation indicated T 4 to be the best with the highest B:C ratio (1.96). Conclusion: – The proper and balanced usage of organic and inorganic sources of nutrient increased soil accessible nutrient pool and there was abundant of the remainder of nutrient in the soil. The impact of combined RDF, rhizobium, vermicompost and FYM may be the reason in higher nutrient content in soil, plants and quality of lentil. Implication: – The practice of integrated nutrient management strategies are for improving lentil cultivation's soil fertility, nutrient uptake, protein content, and overall economic viability.