Vol. 7, Issue 9 (2018)

Author(s):
Garima Joshi, Aaradhana Chilwal and Pooja Bhatt

Abstract:
In race towards high production and profit from agriculture, the farmers are adopting abnormal production technologies like heavy and injudicious use of chemical fertilizers that have reduced the factor productivity due to negative effect on soil fertility status. Therefore, it’s an urgent need to optimize the integrated nutrient management in different crops including baby corn. The present study was thus carried out during Kharif season 2015 at the Instructional Dairy Farm (IDF), Nagla, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand to study soil nutrient status under the effect of integrated nutrient management. The experimental design was Randomized Block Design with 11 treatments consisting of sole application of NPK fertilizer, sole application of Azotobacter and Azospirillum, and application of Azotobacter and Azospirillum along with NPK fertilizer. The different integrated nutrient management practices had significantly equal organic carbon, however the highest value was recorded at application of 100% NPK and 100% NPK+Azot+Azos. Significantly highest available N and K content was recorded at 100% NPK+Azot+Azos whereas available P was recorded significantly highest at 75% NPK+Azot+Azos in soil after crop harvest. Higher apparent nitrogen and potassium balance was recorded at 100% NPK+Azot+Azos while apparent phosphorus balance was found highest at application of 75% NPK+Azot+Azos. Application of biofertilizers also had better apparent nutrient balance than alone application of chemical fertilizers. The bacterial population differed significantly by different integrated nutrient management practices. The highest bacterial population was recorded at 100% NPK+Azot+Azos followed by 75% NPK+Azot+Azos but both remained non-significant with each other. INM thus showed positive effect on soil chemical and biological properties, and so maintained positive nutrient balance in soil.