Effect of moisture conservation practices and sulphur fertilization on yield, nutrient uptake and economics in mothbean Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal

摘要

A field experiment was conducted at Agronomy farm, S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner, Jaipur (Rajasthan) during kharif season of 2018 to study the effect of moisture conservation practices and sulphur fertilization on yield, nutrient uptake and economics in mothbean. The experiment comprising of five moisture conservation practices (control, dust mulch, pusa hydrogel, stover mulch, pusa hydrogel + stover mulch) and four sulphur fertilization levels (control, 15, 30 and 45 kg/ha), thereby making 20 treatment combinations was laid out in factorial randomized block design and replicated thrice. Results showed that different moisture conservation practices and sulphur fertilization brought considerable improvement in yield, nutrient uptake and economics in mothbean. Among moisture conservation practices, stover mulch proved significantly superior to control, dust mulch, pusa hydrogel with respect to yield attributes (number of pods/plant arid nufnber of seeds/ pod), seed yield (805 kg/ha), stover yield (1862 kg/ha) and biological yields (2667 kg/ha) and remained at par with pusa hydrogel + stover mulch. The stover mulch recorded significantly higher N, P and S concentration and uptake than control, dust mulch, and pusa hydrogel. Significantly higher net returns (27146/ha) and B:C ratio (2.47) were achieved, under treatment stover mulch over rest of the treatments. Results further showed that every increase in level of sulphur fertilization up to 30 kg/ha by and large significantly improved most of the yield determining characters, N, P and S concentration and uptake, net returns and B:C ratio in mothbean over lower levels. It also recorded significantly higher seed yield (816 kg/ha), stover yield (1905 kg/ha) and biological yields (2721 kg/ha) over control and 15 kg/ha and found at par with 45 kg/ha. The net return and B:C ratio attained with 30 kg S/ha were 726777/ha and 2.37, respectively and optimum dose of sulphur for mothbean crop was computed as 39.17 kg S ha~(-1).