1. KAUTIR (Kerala Agricultural University Theses Information and Retrieval)
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Item Studies on fertigation in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.)(Department of Agronomy,College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2016) Anjali A Hari; Girija Devi, LThe research project titled “Studies on fertigation in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.)” was undertaken in the farmer’s field at Pirappancode, Thiruvananthapuram district, during March 2015 to June 2015, to standardize the fertigation schedule for precision farming in bitter gourd, to assess the impact of precision farming practices on growth and yield of the crop and to work out the economics. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four replications. The main plot treatments included four fertigation levels (l), viz., l1- 75 per cent recommended dose (RD) of N and K, l2- 100 per cent RD of N and K, l3- 150 per cent RD of N and K and l4- 200 per cent RD of N and K. Fertigation intervals (i) (i1- fertigation at 4 days interval and i2- fertigation at 8 days interval) formed the sub plot treatments. Two controls were included in the study, viz., control 1- Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) ad hoc recommendation for precision farming and control 2- KAU Package of Practices (POP) recommendation. Uniform application of P @ 25 kg ha-1 in all treatments except control 1. The results revealed that the growth attributes like number of leaves at 35 days after sowing (DAS), leaf area index (LAI) and days to first female flower appearance were influenced by fertigation levels and vine length (20 and 35 DAS) and leaf production (20 DAS) were influenced by fertigation intervals. The number of leaves (35 DAS) was the highest in l2, while l3 produced the highest LAI (55 DAS). The female flower appearance was early in l1 and late in l4. Fertigation with l2 recorded the highest fruit yield (4.26 kg plant-1 and 21.30 t ha-1) fruit number (31.76), number of harvests (5.74), total dry matter yield (636.92 g plant-1) and ascorbic acid content (54.05 mg 100 g-1), while the same level of nutrient through conventional method of application (control 2) gave a comparable fruit yield (3.41 kg plant-1 and 17.05 t ha-1) and protein content (23.18 per cent) as that of fertigation treatment and also registered the highest content of TSS (3.250 Brix) and K (4.19 per cent). Water use efficiency (WUE) and water productivity were found to be influenced by fertigation levels with l2 recording the highest (24.41 and 3.65 kg ha mm-1 respectively). The uptake of nutrients particularly P and K were the highest in l2. Also K uptake was the highest in both the controls than in fertigation treatments. Fertigation at 8 days interval recorded the highest N uptake. Fertigation treatments and control 1 improved the N and K status of soil, while N status improved and K decreased in control 2. Economic analysis revealed the superiority of fertigation treatments over both the controls and within fertigation levels, the level l2 as reflected in the respective B:C ratios. The mean B:C ratio in fertigation was 4.29 and in l2, it was 4.94. The B:C ratio recorded in the two controls were 2.74 and 3.21 respectively. Similarly the net income was the highest in l2i1 ( 6,90,488 ha-1), the lowest in control 2 ( 4,69,412 ha-1), and though control 1 gave a comparable fruit yield, its economics in respect of B: C ratio and net income were the lowest. The results of the study revealed that the current nutrient recommendation of KAU (70:25:25 kg N, P2O5 and K2O ha-1) is sufficient for bitter gourd, but giving it through fertigation, the yield can be further increased. Based on the results, a fertigation schedule of 152 kg ha-1 urea and 53 kg ha-1 MOP at 4 days interval along with a basal dose of 100 kg ha-1 rajphos (equivalent to 70:20:32 kg N, P2O5 and K2O ha-1 modified from KAU recommendation of 70:25:25 kg N, P2O5 and K2O ha-1 as per soil test) can be given as a recommendation for precision farming in bitter gourd for high yield, quality produce and the highest net income and B:C ratioItem Shelf life of liquid organic formulations(Department of Agronomy,College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2016) Rameeza, E M; Usha, K EThe study entitled “Shelf life of liquid organic formulations” was carried out in the Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2015 - 2016. The objectives were to find out the shelf life of liquid organic formulations by analyzing the chemical and biological properties, and the effect of duration of storage of these formulations on growth and yield of cucumber variety. There were two experiments viz., influence of ageing on quality of liquid organic formulations and influence of shelf life of Jeevamrutham and Panchagavyam on growth and yield of cucumber variety Pusa Uday. The first experiment consisted of 11 treatments where Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham were stored for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks. The fresh preparations as well as the stored formulations were analyzed for various parameters. The fresh preparation of Panchagavyam was light green with fruity smell whereas that of Jeevamrutham was moderate green with mild foul odour and became darker green and brownish green respectively with foul odour at the end of storage. The surface mould growth and maggots were observed in Panchagavyam only. An increasing trend in pH and EC of Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham was noticed during the period of storage. Among the treatments, 20 weeks old preparation of Panchagavyam recorded the highest nitrogen content of 0.21 per cent. There was no significant variation in nitrogen content of Jeevamrutham on storage and was in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 per cent. In general, P content of liquid organic formulations decreased while K content slightly increased during storage. Mg and S content was slightly improved due to ageing. The micronutrients Fe, Mn and Zn were detected in both the liquid organic formulations. The total microbial population viz., fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes were significantly influenced by the storage period. The highest fungal population was noticed in 20 weeks old Panchagavyam and 24 weeks old Jeevamrutham. Bacterial count was the highest in 12 weeks old Panchagavyam and 16 weeks old Jeevamrutham. The highest population of actinomycetes was observed in 12 weeks old Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham. All the treatments of Panchagavyam were free from Escherichia coli whereas it was detected in some of the treatments of Jeevamrutham, The field experiment consisted of 7 treatments including four best treatments selected based on the results of first experiment (12 and 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham and 24 and 20 weeks old Panchagavyam), water spray, commercial organic formulation and package of practices recommendations, KAU. Organic manures were applied in cucumber plots as per the package of practices recommendations (ad hoc) for organic farming: Crops in all the treatments except T7. Weekly foliar spray of liquid organic formulations was started 20 DAS. The biometric observations were recorded at 30 and 60 DAS. The available nutrient content (NPK) and total microbial population of soil were significantly improved with the application of liquid organic formulations. The treatment receiving 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham registered the highest available soil N (245.02 kg ha-1) and K (343.02 kg ha-1). The highest population of fungi (6.25 x 104cfu g-1), bacteria (110.83 x106cfu g-1) and actinomycetes (26.83 x105cfu g-1) was also detected in soil receiving 20 weeks old Jeevamrutham. Application of Jeevamrutham contributed the highest number of fruits per plant (11.08), volume of fruits per plant (3320.68 cm3), weight of fruits (3.32 kg plant-1) and yield (28.92 Mg ha-1) resulting in maximum gross return, net return and B: C ratio (3.05). The results of the present investigation revealed the possibility of storing panchagavyam up to six months and Jeevamrutham up to five months without quality deterioration. Foliar spray of Panchagavyam and Jeevamrutham has proved to promote the yield of cucumber.