Assessing INM on sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) for productivity, quality, disease incidence and microbiological properties of soil in the mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh

A field experiment was conducted at experimental farm of Birsa Agricultural University with Soybean (var. JS-335) as a test crop during the Kharif season, 2016 to study the combined application of Phosphorus and Sulphur along with Bradyrhizobium on yield and quality of soybean (Glycine max L.). The experiment was laid down with 18 treatment combinations having two levels of inoculation (I0 and I1), three levels of phosphorus (40, 60 and 80 kg ha-1) and three levels of sulphur (0, 15 and 30 kg ha-1) in a split-split plot design replicated thrice. The results revealed that different levels of phosphorus and sulphur along with microbial inoculation significantly influenced the yield attribute as well as yield of soybean. The significantly highest number of pods per plant (43.27), grain yield (23.91 q ha-1) and straw yield (27.13 q ha-1) at 80 kg P2O5 ha-1 which was statistically at par with 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 for number of pods per plant and significantly superior over 60 kg and 40 kg P2O5 ha-1 for grain and straw yield of soybean. Soybean responded to applied sulphur but there was no significant difference between two levels of sulphur for number of pods per plant and grain yield. Microbial inoculation significantly increased the grain yield (23.36 q ha-1) and straw yield (26.43 q ha-1) of soybean. Application of phosphorus and sulphur significantly enhanced the oil content in soya grain and highest oil content of 19.48 % and 19.44 % with 80 kg P2O5 ha-1 and 30 kg S ha-1, correspondingly and having statistical equivalence with 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 and 15 kg S ha-1.