System productivity, profitability and economic efficiency as influenced by various levels and sources of nutrients in sweet corn-potato cropping systems

An experiment on effect of integrated nutrient management in sweet corn-potato cropping sequence was conducted during Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2014-15 and 2015-16 at Instructional Research Farm, Central Campus, Post Graduate Institute, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri.The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications in sweet corn and split plot design in potato crop.The soil of the experimental field was clayey in texture with low in available nitrogen (241.35kg ha -1 ), medium in available phosphorus (22.85 kg ha -1 ) and high in potassium (365.75 kg ha -1 ), moderately alkaline in reaction (pH 8.2).The treatments consisted T 1 -100 % GRDF, T 2 -75 % RDN + 25 % N through FYM, T 3 -75 % RDN + 25 % N through VC, T 4 -100 % RDN + 25 % N through FYM T 5 -100 % RDN + 25 % N through VC, T 6 -125 % RDN + 25 % N through FYM and T 7 -125 % RDN + 25 % N through VC for Kharif sweet corn as a main plot treatment, whereas for Rabi potato two sub plot treatment levels of GRDF viz., F 1 -75 % GRDF and F 2 -100 % GRDF replicated in split plot design resulting in seven treatment combinations replicated thrice during Kharif season and fourteen treatment combinations during Rabi season in RBD-split plot design replicated thrice.The experiment was conducted on same site without changing the randomization of the treatments for successive years.The data in respect of important growth and yield attributes of Kharif sweet corn and Rabi potato were recorded.The sweet corn-potato cropping sequence was also assessed through monetary benefits, micro climate meteorological parameters, nutrient uptake and cumulative nutrient balance sheet of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.The most important findings emerged from the present investigation are summarized below.Among the INM treatments, the various fertilizer levels to preceding sweet corn crop significantly influenced T 7 -125 % RDN + 25 % N through VC was found superior in growth attributes of sweet corn viz., plant height, number of leaves plant -1 , leaf area and dry matter plant -1 at all crop growth stages of sweet corn during both the years of Kharif season.The treatment T 7 -125 % RDN + 25 % N through VC recorded significantly higher values of all yield contributing characters of sweet corn viz., length of cob with husk (28.55 and 29.80 cm), girth of cob with husk (22.36 and 22.97 cm), length of cob without husk (23.88 and 24.92 cm), girth of cob without husk (18.82 and 19.87 cm), weight of cob plant -1 (308.65 and 320.26 g), weight of cob without husk (255.33 and 256.87 g) cob -1 , weight of husk (53.32 and 63.39 g), weight of grains cob -1 (203.41 and 204.82 g), number of grain lines cob -1 (18.44 and 18.65), number of grain lines -1 (38.65 and 39.23), number of grains cob -1 (712.71 and 731.64) weight of shelled cob (51.92 and 52.05 g) during both the years of investigation.The maximum and significantly higher green cob yield (275.55 and 281.55 q ha - Various levels & sources of nutrients in sweet corn-potato cropping systems [262][263][264][265][266][267][268][269][270][271]