Effect of Organic Sources of Nutrients on Soil Properties under Elephant Foot Yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) Cultivation

Abstract

A two-year field experiment was conducted during the 2022 and 2023 kharif seasons at Rajendrapur Farm, College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Waghai, The Dangs, Gujarat, India, to evaluate the effects of solid and liquid organic nutrient sources on soil properties under elephant foot yam cultivation. The experiment followed a 4 × 4 factorial randomised block design with three replications. Solid-organic treatments were S0, control; S1, 100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through mahua cake; S2, 100% RDN through vermicompost; and S3, 100% RDN through farmyard manure (FYM). Liquid treatments were L0, no spray; L1, Jeevamrut at 2%; L2, NOVEL Organic Liquid Nutrient at 2%; and L3, Gliricidia leaf extract at 2%. In the pooled analysis, FYM produced the highest soil pH (6.71) and organic carbon (0.94%), with the organic carbon value statistically comparable with that under mahua cake. Mahua cake produced the numerically highest available N (350.91 kg ha-1), P (55.63 kg ha-1), K (271.81 kg ha-1), bacteria (44.47 × 10^5 CFU g-1 soil), fungi (30.35 × 10^5 CFU g-1 soil), and actinomycetes (19.47 × 10^5 CFU g-1 soil); these values were statistically comparable with FYM. Liquid-organic treatments and solid × liquid interactions did not significantly affect the measured post-harvest soil properties. Under the conditions of this two-season experiment, soil-applied mahua cake and FYM produced the most favourable soil fertility and culture-based microbial responses among the tested solid nutrient sources, whereas the tested liquid sprays did not measurably alter the post-harvest soil indicators.