Sulphur and boron have been found to act in a synergistic manner for enhancing the yield and quality of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.). As it is the choice crop of farmers in the summer rice fallows of Onattukara, field experiments were laid out in factorial RBD with four levels each of sulphur and boron with the variety Thilarani. The levels of sulphur tried were 0 kg S ha-1 , 7.5 kg S ha-1 , 15.0 kg S ha-1 and 30.0 kg S ha-1 and 0 kg B ha-1 , 2.5 kg B ha-1 , 5.0 kg B ha-1 and 0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 kg B ha-1 for boron which were applied as gypsum and borax, respectively. The incubation study, designed to understand the release pattern of nutrients reveled that highest quantity of sulphur and boron were available during the 30 th day of incubation and there after showed a decreasing trend. Application of sulphur @ 30 kg ha-1 and boron @ 7.5 kg ha-1 improved the available nutrient status of Onattukara soil. The nutrient use efficiency of sulphur was highest at 30 kg ha-1 and that for boron it was 2.5 kg ha-1. It also registered a significant positive impact on enhancing the yield and yield attributes of sesame in such a way that the highest rates of both the nutrients registered maximum yield from the crop in both the years.
An experiment was conducted to standardize the critical boron level in soil and leaf samples of coconut palms grown in a typical Entisol of the Onattukara region of Kerala, India. Graded levels of boron as borax were applied at 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 g per palm per year in four split doses. The critical boron level in soil and leaves was standardized using the following methods: the Cate and Nelson graphical (CN) method, the Mistcherlich equation (ME), and the quadratic plateau response (QP) method. In the CN method, the critical level of boron in soil and leaves was 0.48 mg kg-1 and 11.5 mg kg-1 , respectively. In the ME model, the critical boron level in soil and leaves was 0.46 mg kg-1 and 7.55 mg kg-1 , respectively. In the QP response curve, the critical level of boron in soil was estimated to be 0.87 mg kg-1 , and in the leaf, the critical level was found to be 13.27 mg kg-1. Because the level estimated via the graphical method and by the Mistcherlich equation is similar with regard to the soil boron, 0.48 mg kg-1 can be considered as the critical boron level in soil. Regarding the critical boron level in the leaf, values estimated via the CN method and the QP response curve are in proximity, and, hence, the critical boron level in leaf is 13.27 mg kg-1. These results suggest the application of 160 g of borax in four split doses when the levels of boron in soil and leaves fall below the estimated critical values for better use efficiency.
The present field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of various combinations of organic inputs on the growth of fodder grass in a coconut [Cocos nucifera (L.)]-based mixed farming during 2013–17 at ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Regional Station, Kayamkulam, Kerala and refined in farmer’s field during 2018–21. The experiment was conducted in randomized block design with seven treatments and three replications with one control [chemical fertilizer (CF) alone] and six organic recycling options with combination of a native strain of Azospirillum sp. [L8(3)] isolated from the coconut rhizosphere, [100% RDN through cow dung slurry (CDS), 100% RDN through coconut leaf vermicompost (CLVC), 100% RDN through CDS + CLVC (1:1), 100% RDN through CDS + CLVC (1:1) + Azospirillum sp., 75% RDN through CDS + CLVC (1:1) + Azospirillum sp. and 50% RDN through CDS + CLVC (1:1) + Azospirillum sp.]. Basal application of 15 tonnes of dried cow dung, 400 kg lime and 90:30:24 kg NPK/ha were supplied irrespective of the treatments. The plants supplied with 100% RDN through CF and CDS + CLVC + Azospirillum sp. recorded the higher yield during the first year, followed by a yield decline in subsequent years which may be due to the nitrogen-induced reduction in soil pH as evident from the soil analysis. The significantly higher fresh fodder yield (126.9 tonnes/ha/year), dry matter yield (22.7 tonnes/ha/year), neutral and acid detergent fibres, crude protein and plant nutrient uptake were recorded by plants supplied with 75% RDN through CDS + CLVC + Azospirillum sp. Technological refinement by adding additional lime (400 kg/ha) during second and third years resulted in 24.59% higher yield. This system of recycling resulted 50% reduction in external physical inputs during the first year and 90% reduction in subsequent two years.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.