Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ORGANIC INPUTS ON YIELD, ECONOMICS AND MICROBIAL COUNT OF SWEET CORN (ZEA MAYS VAR. SACCHARATA)

V.R. Pawar, A.D. Tambe, S.P. Patil and S.U. Suryawanshi

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2008 at PGI research farm of Department of Agronomy, MPKV, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar (MS) to find the effect of different organic sources on growth attributes, yield attributes, yield, quality and nutrient uptake of sweet corn cv. Sugar-75. The soil of the experimental field was medium black and fairly drained clayey soil. The soil was alkaline in reaction (8.15 pH). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with four replications consisting of organic levels alone and in combination with the different organic inputs used viz., T1 : Control, T2 : Farmyard manure 10 t ha-1 , T3 : Vermicompost 5 t ha-1 , T4 : Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 , T5 : Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS), T6 : Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS), T7 :Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS), T8 : Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS). The results indicated that, application of Farmyard manure 5 t ha- 1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS) to kharif sweet corn recorded significantly higher values for sweet corn cob and green fodder yield. Microbial count of bacteria, fungi and virus was significantly increased with the application of Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS) which was found at par with Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 as compared with rest of the treatments. Application of Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha- 1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS) was found to be at par with application of Farmyard manure 5 t ha- 1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 and proved beneficial in recording maximum net monetary returns and B:C ratio.