Response of potato crop to different combinations of inorganic fertilizers, organic manure and biofertilizers

The present experiment was conducted at the, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, RVSKVV, Gwalior (M.P.) during the Rabi season of two consecutive years 2017-18 and 2018-19. The experiment was comprised of 18 treatment combinations of three levels of inorganic fertilizers viz., (100% NPK), (75%NPK) and (50% NPK), two levels of farm yard manure (FYM 20 t/ha) and (FYM10 t/ha), and three levels of biofertilizers (Azotobacter 5 kg/ha), (PSB 5kg/ha) and (Azotobacter 2.5 kg/ha + PSB 2.5kg/ha) tested on potato processing cultivar Kufri Chipsona-1, for yield and economic parameters. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The tubers of uniform size were sown in plots of size 3 x 3 m at a spacing distance of 60 x 20 cm. Observations for yield parameters were grade wise yield of tubers (kg/plot), processing grade tuber yield (T/ha), marketable tuber yield and total yield (T/ha) of potato tubers. The treatment combination I3O2B3 (100%NPK+FYM 20 t/ha + PSB2.5kg/ha+ Azotobacter 2.5kg/ha) resulted in maximum number of tubers per plant (12.4), maximum ‘A’ grade tubers (8.2 kg/plot), maximum ‘B’ grade tubers (7.5 kg/plot) and maximum average weight of processing (Agrade) tuber per plant (97.0 g) during the pooled mean data, of the experiment. The treatment combination I3O2B3 also resulted in maximum total yield (22.6 t/ha). Whereas minimum total yield (15.6 t/ha) was obtained in treatment I1O1B2, during the pooled mean data, of the experiment. The highest gross returns was recorded (Rs.220300.0) and highest benefit cost ratio was recorded (2.56) with treatment I3O2B3 (100% NPK+FYM20t/ha+PSB2.5kg/ha+Azotobacter2.5kg/ha). Whereas, the minimum gross returns (Rs.138500.0) and minimum benefit cost ratio was recorded (1.77) with treatment I1O1B2 (50% NPK + FYM 10 t/ha + PSB 5kg/ha).