Productivity Enhancement of Organically Grown Local Scented Rice-Wheat Cropping Sequence due to Enriched Compost Application

Abstract

The organic farming in hilly areas of Uttarakhand is default by nature as chemical fertilizer and use of fungicide, insecticide and herbicide is negligible. In hilly regions of district Pithoragarh rice wheat is an important cropping sequence. The entire scented rice in the district is grown organically and the yield of local scented rice varieties is very low. The present study was conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra Pithoragarh to compare the farmers’ practice (T-1) with two treatments viz; T-2: 20 t FYM to Rice and Wheat along with phosphorus solublising bacteria (PSB) and T-3: 20 t FYM to Rice and Wheat along with PSB, Azatobacter and Azospirillum. The experiment was conducted at farmers’ field in two villages viz; Bagrihat and Egyardevi. In village Bagrihat during 2007 treatment T-3 resulted in 13.7 and 11.7 per cent increase in yield of rice and wheat over farmers’ practice respectively. While in village Egyardevi treatment T-3 resulted in higher yield of rice and wheat during both the years of study. Net return for treatment T-3 was higher as compared to treatment T-1 and T-2. Thus application of well decomposed F.Y.M enriched with Azotobacter, Azospirillum and PSB resulted in higher yield of scented rice and wheat cropping sequence over traditional farmers’ practice.