Residual Effect of Fertility Levels, Biofertilizer and Foliar Nutrition on Yield and Yield Attributes of Summer Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) in Wheat-blackgram Cropping System under Subtropical Conditions in Jammu

Abstract

Background: Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.), commonly known as urdbean, mash, black mapte and other names, is a popular short-season pulse crop farmed throughout India. This crop is extensively sown in conjunction with various cropping systems under residual moisture conditions after wheat harvest as summer crops under irrigated conditions and due to its high protein and carbohydrate content, as well as its short duration crop, it is suitable in summer crop grown between wheat and rice. Methods: Field experiments was carried out during two consecutive summer seasons of 2018-19 and 2019-20 to study residual effect of biofertilizer and foliar nutrition on plant height and yield attributes of summer blackgram (Vigna mungo) under different fertility levels at the Research Farm, Division of Agronomy, SKUAST- J, Chatha. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with three factors replicated thrice. Result: Maximize residual effect of nutrients on blackgram after raised wheat as a major crop among the fertility levels including biofertilizer and foliar application, recommended dose fertilizer achieved, growth parameters viz, yield attributing characters, number of pods/plants, number of grains /plants, 1000-grains weight, seed yield, stover yield and harvest index as compared to 75% of RDF. However, control recorded lowest values of all growth, yield attributing parameter and yield of blackgram crop. Whereas, soil application of biofertilizer consortium recorded higher plant height and yield attributing characters of blackgram in comparison to seed treatment with biofertilizer consortium applied in wheat as main crop. Among the foliar application of 2% of NPK (19:19:19) higher values of growth character, yield and yield attributing parameters of blackgram were recorded in foliar application of 2% NPK (19:19:19) at flowering stage as compared to tillering and tillering + flowering stages of wheat crop during both the years. Economics of blackgram in terms of net return and B:C ratio was influenced by residual effect of various applied in wheat crop and recorded higher in RDF fertility, soil application of biofertilizer consortium and foliar application of 2% NPK at flowering stage.