Track 2-3-1: Integrated Nutrient Management for Soil Health and Effects on Quality of Production

Description

Maize occupies an important place among cereals in the world ranking at third place in respect of area and production. Owing the diversified uses for food, feed and industrial utilization and having the greater yield potential among the cereals maize has become an important crop in India. For diversification and value addition of maize and growth of food processing industry; an interesting recent development is the growing maize for vegetable purpose as “baby corn”. The duration of baby corn ends with 60-70 days; until it enters into reproductive phase (40-45 DAS). Besides, from its cultivation ensures availability of good-quality green fodder and add enormously to total economic returns. Baby corn, being a relatively new introduction in India, requires development of production technology. Among the different production factors, nutrient management plays a key role in improving the productivity of crops. Since, corn is nutrient exhaustive crop and deplete soil fertility extensively. For obtaining high productivity, heavy doses of costly fertilizers and their use in higher amounts can lead to environmental pollution. Moreover, poor recycling of organic sources and application of high analysis fertilizers leads to deficiency of several micronutrients. Making press mud based distillery effluent bio-compost mixing the nutrient rich press mud from sugar mills with NPK rich spent wash obtained from distillery unit in the ratio of 1:2.5 is a good source of nutrients. However, there is a lake of information regarding the performance of bio-compost in relation to productivity and fertility of soil particularly under vegetable-based cropping in Indo-Gangetic plains. Hence, the present study was planned to evaluate the performance of bio-compost in terms of growth, yield and economics of baby corn-potato- mungbean cropping system and to compare it with the traditional manure i.e. FYM as substitute of fertilizer N.

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Productivity and Quality of Baby Corn (Zea mays) Fodder as Influenced by Nutrient Management Practices in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

Maize occupies an important place among cereals in the world ranking at third place in respect of area and production. Owing the diversified uses for food, feed and industrial utilization and having the greater yield potential among the cereals maize has become an important crop in India. For diversification and value addition of maize and growth of food processing industry; an interesting recent development is the growing maize for vegetable purpose as “baby corn”. The duration of baby corn ends with 60-70 days; until it enters into reproductive phase (40-45 DAS). Besides, from its cultivation ensures availability of good-quality green fodder and add enormously to total economic returns. Baby corn, being a relatively new introduction in India, requires development of production technology. Among the different production factors, nutrient management plays a key role in improving the productivity of crops. Since, corn is nutrient exhaustive crop and deplete soil fertility extensively. For obtaining high productivity, heavy doses of costly fertilizers and their use in higher amounts can lead to environmental pollution. Moreover, poor recycling of organic sources and application of high analysis fertilizers leads to deficiency of several micronutrients. Making press mud based distillery effluent bio-compost mixing the nutrient rich press mud from sugar mills with NPK rich spent wash obtained from distillery unit in the ratio of 1:2.5 is a good source of nutrients. However, there is a lake of information regarding the performance of bio-compost in relation to productivity and fertility of soil particularly under vegetable-based cropping in Indo-Gangetic plains. Hence, the present study was planned to evaluate the performance of bio-compost in terms of growth, yield and economics of baby corn-potato- mungbean cropping system and to compare it with the traditional manure i.e. FYM as substitute of fertilizer N.