Browsing by Author "Neenu, S"

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Site specific nutrient management for bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L)
(Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2013) Neenu, S; Sudharmai Devi, C R
A study entitled ‘Site specific nutrient management for bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) was conducted in College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2007-12 with the objective of formulating a site specific nutrient recommendation for enhancing the bitter gourd production in Kalliyur village of Kerala. The experiment set up included three steps namely Omission trial, SSNM field study and validation of results. All the experiments were conducted in farmer’s fields of Kalliyur village. Kalliyur village, located in Thiruvananthapuram district with an area of 17.23 km is one of the major vegetable growing tracts and bitter gourd is a popular vegetable in the locality. Spatial variability studies conducted revealed that remarkable variations existed in the soil properties across the village. Data on irrigation water analysis showed that the water used for irrigation was slightly acidic but safe for irrigation as it did not contain significant amount of soluble salts and other elements. Nutrient omission trial conducted in a farmer’s field at selected location showed that the indigenous supply of major nutrients in the locality is limited. The growth and yield parameters were the highest in (+) NPK treatment. Though the highest yield was recorded in (+) NPK plots, yield reduction in P omission plot was less compared to N and K omission owing to the higher supply of indigenous P in soil. The SSNM experiment revealed that site specific nutrient recommendations for high yield target with soil application of micronutrients recorded the highest values for all the growth and yield attributes of bitter gourd. Nutrient uptake and harvest index were also the highest in this treatment. The lowest value of harvest index was recorded by absolute control. In the case of nutrient balance sheet the highest value of N and K balance sheet was obtained in site specific nutrient recommendations for high yield target with soil application of micronutrients while the highest value of P balance sheet was obtained in farmer’s practice II. The correlation study revealed that bitter gourd yield was highly correlated with nutrient uptake as well as dry matter production and harvest index. Economic analysis showed that the SSNM practice is beneficial to farmers as it is able to provide more income than the usual farmer’s practice. The validation trial of the best treatments SSNM treatments with high yield target showed that the yield increase was consistent and hence can be prescribed to other farmers in Kalliyur village. The study thus conclusively proved that the present rates of fertiliser recommendation are not at all sufficient for getting maximum yield and profit to farmers. A site-specific nutrient prescription of 123: 59: 160: 30: 40: 25: 10 kg N P K Ca Mg Zn B ha -1 was found to produce 24 t of fruits ha -1 and a dose of 123: 59: 160: 30: 40 kg N P K Ca Mg + 1 per cent Zn foliar + 0.5 per cent B foliar ha were found to yield 22 t fruits ha -1 . The farmers in the area could get a monetary benefit of 601604/- and 542104/- ha -1 respectively by adopting these recommendations. Adoption of SSNM prescriptions is advantageous not only from the point of view of increasing profitability to farmers but also minimizing environmental degradation.
Synerigistic effect of Na and K on yield and nutrient uptake in Coleus (Coleus praviflorus L)
(Department of Soil Science & Agricultural chemistry, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2004) Neenu, S; Sudharmai Devi, C R
A field experiment was carried out in College of Agriculture, Vellayani during September 2003 to January 2004 to study the “Synergistic effect of Na and K on yield and nutrient uptake in coleus (Coleus parviflorus L.)”. The treatments included were 50 and 100 per cent of the recommended dose of K alone and in combination with 50, 75 and 100 per cent of Na of common salt to equalize the same amount of recommended dose of K. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design. The plant growth characteristics like plant spread, number of functional leaves and LAI showed significant variation due to treatments. The highest values for these parameters were registered by K and Na at 50:50 proportions, showing the synergistic interaction of the two elements at this combination. Leaf water content varied significantly due to treatments. The 50 per cent K plus 75 per cent Na treated plants showed highest value of RLWC. Even though the chlorophyll content did not show significant difference between treatments, it increased with Na application along with 50 per cent K, revealing a role of Na in chlorophyll biosynthesis Tuber yield did not show any significant difference due to treatments. Even then the 50:50 combinations of Na and K treatment gave the highest tuber yield followed by 100 per cent K plus 50 per cent Na treated plants. The yield attributes like number of tubers, weight of tubers and tuber index did not vary significantly. Among the quality attributes, starch content varied significantly due to treatments. The treatment with 100 per cent K plus 75 per cent Na gave the highest value of starch followed by the 50:50 combinations of Na and K. The cooking quality of treatments T3 (100 per cent K alone), T4 (50 per cent K plus 50 per cent Na) and T5 (50 per cent K plus 75 per cent Na) were similar. The shelf life of 100 per cent K plus 100 per cent Na treated tubers were found to be the highest. There was an increase in the content of N, K, Ca and Mg in the plants when Na was also supplied as treatment. Consequently the uptake of nutrients increased with the application of different levels of Na along with 50 per cent K. This shows that Na has a stimulative effect on uptake of nutrients. Application of Na did not affect any soil properties like pH, EC and organic carbon. The available nutrients like N, P, Ca and Mg increased in Na treated plots Yield of tuber was positively and significantly correlated with the dry matter production and uptake of Ca. Yield was positively correlated with the uptake of all nutrients under study. From the above points, it can be concluded that a combination of 50 per cent K and 50 per cent Na is optimum for getting the maximum yield. From the present study it also became evident that the efficiency of nutrient uptake increased at this combination. By adopting this practice, it was seen that the quality of coleus tubers improved and they became nutritionally more rich. This practice was found to be economically more feasible. Considering all these aspects, this fertilizer practice can be recommended to the farmers for getting a higher profit. From this investigation we can clearly establish a synergistic interaction of the two monovalent nutrient ions, K and Na on the growth and yield of coleus.