Gummadala Kasirao, Shiv Singh Tomar, Perli Himavarsha, Amarnath Singh and Pradipta Ranjan Pradhan
Abstract
Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is a major oilseed crop with substantial status for edible oil and livestock feed, yet its productivity in India relics behind the global productivity because of poor soil fertility, inconsistent rainfall and unhinged nutrient management. Inadequate research intends to further explore the synergetic impact of conservation agriculture (CA) and organic nutrient management on mustard under semi-arid Indian conditions. To address the gap, a two-year field experiment was carried out at G.D. Goenka University, Haryana, to assess twelve treatment combinations involving no-tillage, crop residue retention, mulching and organic inputs such as poultry manure, farmyard manure, vermicompost and egg amino acid. The results suggest that the combination of no-tillage with egg amino acid (1 L/ha) and poultry manure (4 t/ha) (T) significantly improved mustard growth, yield and oil content. T recorded the maximum plant height (183.91 cm), number of leaves (30.67) and branches per plant (17.87) at harvest. Similarly, yield-contributing attributes such as siliquae per plant (187.20), seeds per siliqua (12.88), pod length (6.18 cm) and 1000-seed weight (5.21 g) were enhanced, leading to the maximum grain yield (20.53 q/ha), straw yield (47.40 q/ha), and oil content (37.62%). The greater performance under T is ascribed to amended soil structure, enhanced moisture retention, microbial activity and constant nutrient accessibility. These findings specify that integrating conservation agriculture with organic nutrient sources can deliver a sustainable and efficient strategy for improving mustard productivity and seed quality in resource-limited environments.