Assessing the Effects of Different Nutrient Sources on the Yield Performance of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Tantia University, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India, to compare selected organic nutrient sources with the recommended NPK dose for barley. The experiment was arranged in a randomised block design with three replications and eight treatments: T1, farmyard manure (FYM) at 10 t ha-1; T2, vermicompost at 5 t ha-1; T3, Jivamrit at 400 L ha-1 applied twice; T4, Jivamrit at 400 L ha-1 applied three times; T5, Ghanjivamrit at 200 kg ha-1 applied twice; T6, Jivamrit at 400 L ha-1 applied three times plus Ghanjivamrit at 200 kg ha-1 applied twice; T7, recommended NPK at 80:40:40 kg ha-1; and T8, an unfertilised control. The soil was sandy loam, slightly alkaline (pH 8.38), and low in organic carbon (0.14%). Recommended NPK (T7) produced the highest effective tiller density (333.3 m-2), grains per spike (49.22), spike length (7.77 cm), grain yield (50.99 q ha-1), straw yield (57.78 q ha-1), and biological yield (108.77 q ha-1). For effective tillers, grains per spike, grain yield, straw yield, and biological yield, T7 was statistically at par with vermicompost (T2) but exceeded the remaining treatments at the reported 5% critical difference. Spike length under T7 was statistically at par with both T2 and T6, while test weight did not differ significantly among treatments. Under the conditions of this single-season experiment, recommended NPK gave the highest overall yield performance, while vermicompost at 5 t ha-1 was the best-performing organic treatment and produced yields statistically comparable with T7 for the principal yield measures.