Soil Nutrient Status, Uptake, Yield and Economics of Groundnut-Wheat Cropping Sequence as Influenced by Organic Sources and Fertilizers

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted during kharif and rabi seasons from 2012–13 to 2014–15 at Agricultural Research Station, Kasabe Digraj, Sangli, Maharashtra to study the effect of integrated use of different organic sources and fertilizers on nutrient availability, uptake, yield and economics of groundnut-wheat cropping sequence on an Inceptisol. The treatments during kharif for groundnut were general recommended dose of fertilizer (GRD), 25% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through farmyard manure (FYM) + 75% RDN through chemical fertilizer (CF), 25% RDN through vermicompost (VC) + 75% RDN through CF, 25% RDN through wheat straw + 75% RDN through CF, 25% RDN through wheat straw + 75% RDN through CF + 100% P as rock phosphate (RP), 25% RDN through green leaf manuring+ 75% RDN through CF +100% P as RP, jeevamrut, RP and control. In all treatments, groundnut seed was inoculated with Rhizobium+phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) was applied to soil except control. After harvesting kharif groundnut, the same plots were divided in two plots, and 75 and 100% of GRD was applied to succeeding rabi wheat. The results revealed that the application of GRD recorded significantly higher pooled groundnut dry pod yield, which was at par with 25% RDN through VC + 75% RDN through CF + inoculation of Rhizobium + PSB + AMF. However, higher pooled N use efficiency, net monetary returns and B: C ratio was reported under 25% RDN through vermicompost + 75% RDN through CF + Rhizobium + PSB + AMF. Application of GRD to kharif groundnut and wheat crop recorded higher pooled grain yield and straw yield of wheat. Application of 75% GRD to wheat recorded higher pooled B: C ratio in wheat. The highest soil available N, P, K and total uptake of N, P and K by crops were recorded with application of GRD to groundnut and wheat. Application of 25% RDN through VC and 75% RDN through CF and 50 kg P2O5 ha−1 along with seed inoculation of Rhizobium + PSB and soil application of AMF to kharif groundnut and 75% GRD to succeeding wheat resulted in higher net monetary returns and maintenance of soil fertility under groundnut-wheat cropping sequence.