Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFECT OF GROWING CONDITIONS AND FERTILIZER SCHEDULING WITH AND WITHOUT APPLICATION OF BANANA PSEUDOSTEM SAP (ENRICHED) ON BIOMASS YIELD OF FENUGREEK

N.B. Misal, R.G. Patil, S.T. Shirgire and M.V. Kulkarni

Abstract

An investigation was carried out at Soil and Water Management Research Unit Farm, N.A.U., Navsari, during rabi season of 2010-2011. The field experiment was conducted in FCRD with 16 treatment combinations consisting of four levels of growing conditions (N1= 30% shade net, N2= 50% shade net, N3= 75% shade net and N4= Open field) and two levels of P fertilizer (F1 = 40:40:00 kg NPK/ha to first crop and 40:00:00 kg NPK/ha to second crop and F2 = 40:20:00 kg NPK/ ha to first and second crop) and two levels of enriched sap (S1 = with sap and S2=without sap). All the treatments were repeated four times. The results revealed that the plant height was tented to increase with increase in shade intensities, i.e., highest in 75% shade net (N3) and lowest in open field condition (N4). The numbers of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant and root length were higher with 30% shade net in both the crops. Significantly higher values of all the growth attributes were recorded with 30% shade net as compared to 75% shade net except plant height. Application of fertilizer P @ 40 kg/ha to first crop (F1) recorded significantly higher values of plant height, number of leaves per plant and root length in first crop, while, P application @ 20 kg/ha recorded significantly higher values of plant height, number of leaves per plant and root length in second crop. The significantly higher values of number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant and root length were recorded with the application of enriched sap as compared to its no application. Higher fresh and dry biomass yield of fenugreek was registered with 30 % shade net (N1) (first crop=1.351 kg/m2 and second crop=2.201 kg/ m2) and dry biomass yield (first crop=0.134 kg/m2 and second crop=0.227 kg/m2) as compared to N2, N3 and N4 for both the crops. In case of total fresh biomass yield, the growing conditions N1 recorded significantly higher values as compared to N2, N3 and N4 but, in total dry biomass yield N1 it was at par with N4. Application of P @ 40 kg/ ha (F1) recorded significantly higher fresh biomass yield (1.334 kg/m2) in first crop. In contrast to first crop, P application @ 20 kg/ha (F2) recorded significantly higher fresh biomass yield (2.258 kg/m2) in second crop. The spraying of enriched sap (S1) (2% spray) registered significantly higher values of fresh biomass yield (first crop=1.292 kg/m2 and second crop=1.252 kg/m2) and dry biomass yield (first crop= 0.131 kg/m2 and second crop=0.199 kg/m2) in both the crops than without sap application (S2) treatment.