Comparative Efficacy of Inorganic and Bio-Fertilizers on Growth and Yield of Rainfed Winter Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

Modern agriculture exclusively depends on chemicals, hence, the study was carried out with the objective of reducing dependency on chemical fertilizer, to find out best integrated dose of inorganic and bio-fertilizer for successful rainfed rice cultivation and analyses the effect of inorganic and bio-fertilizer on the soil fertility. Integrated nutrient management is best for sustainable rainfed rice cultivation rather than purely organic or chemical. Reduction in chemical fertilizer to an extent of 20% with bio-fertilizer not only curtails the cost of production; it also increases the yield of rainfed rice by enhancing the growth and yield attributing characters. Recommended fertilizer dose with Azospirillum and Phosphobacterium (T4) recorded the highest rice grain yield (6.59 t ha-1), Maximum gross return (Rs.1,02,930.00), highest net return (Rs.71,230.00) and benefit–cost ratio (2.25), which were at par with T7 (net return of Rs.65,330.00 and benefit–cost ratio of 2.11). 50% RDF + Phosphobacterium (T9) exhibited lowest gross return (Rs.74,350.00), net return (Rs.44,190.00) and benefit-cost ratio (0.86).