Enrichment of Cotton Stalk Based Compost and its Influence on Growth and Yield of Sunflower

Composting methods with improved techniques were adopted for Preparation of cotton stalk based compost. Composts were analyzed for OC, pH, EC and nutrient contents at the end of composting. Compost composed of all additives had lower organic carbon and higher content of major and micronutrients compared to other compost treatments. The reduction in the volume of compost varied from 28 to 43%. The quantity of input of total carbon and nutrients varied with the compost treatments and maximum output/recovery of nutrients were found in compost prepared from cotton stalk + cow dung + microbial culture + superphosphate + urea + micronutrients. Field experiment conducted to study the effect of enriched compost on sunflower during kharif, 2010 indicated that application of enriched composts along with 50 or 100% of recommended NPK maximized growth, seed yield, dry matter production and oil content of sunflower.