Effect of different sources of nutrients and mulching on sustainable production of Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) cv. Pusa Ashwani

Abstract

The modern cultivated cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.var. botrytis) is one of the most important, vegetable and nutritious vegetable for the world. Increasing need for enhanced crop productivity due to ever increasing population necessitates adequate amount of plant nutrition. Integrated Nutrient Management involves judicious use of organic, inorganic and microbial sources in such a way that it sustains optimum yield, improves and maintains the soil physical, chemical and biological properties, which can bring about equilibrium between degenerative and restorative activates in the soil environment.Mulching is a practice of covering the surface of soil with plastics, organic and non-organic materials to reduce evaporation and to moderate wide fluctuation in soil temperature, especially in the root zone environment. A field experiment was carried out during 2018-19 and 2019- 20 to examine the effect of INM on growth, yield and quality of cauliflower cv. Pusa Ashwani with 11 treatments and their combinations of organic and microbial sources of nutrients (RDF, VC, Azotobacter, PSB, Paddy straw and Black mulch (2.5mm) replication three with Randomized Block Design. The treatment T8 (50% RDF + 15 t/ha VC + Azotobacter (5kg/ha) + PSB (5kg/ha) + Black mulch (2.5mm) recorded maximum for plant height (cm), number of leaves plant-1, largest leaf plant-1 (cm2), plant spread area (cm2), average weight of curd (g plant-1), average specific gravity of the curd, fresh weight (g) plant-1 at initiation stage, fresh weight of plant at curd harvest stage (g), dry weight of plant at curd initiation (g), dry weight (g) plant-1 at curd harvest stage, days taken to first curd initiation, days taken to 50% curd initiation, days taken to 50% curd maturity, days taken to curd maturity duration from initiation to harvest, polar diameter of curd (cm), equatorial diameter of curd (cm), curd size index (cm2), marketable curd weight (g plant-1), net curd weight (g plant-1), marketable curd yield (q ha-1), organic carbon percentage, available nitrogen (kg ha-1), available phosphorus (kg ha-1), available potassium (kg ha-1), b:c ratio. However, minimum values of these parameters noted under control during the course of the study