Impact of Nano-Urea, Potassium Silicate and Micronutrients on Soil Nutrient Dynamics, Productivity and Profitability of Paddy

Abstract

Objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of nano urea, potassium silicate and micronutrients on soil health, growth, yield and economics of paddy. An experiment was carried out at farmers field Bhaourkhol, Lakhanpur Block of Jharsuguda district, Odisha, India during Kharif and Rabi season of the years 2022-23 and 2023-24. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with Nine treatments and four replications. The different treatment combinations were, T1- Control, T2- Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), T3- Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) source of nitrogen through Nano urea, T4- Recommended dose of fertilizer + Potassium Silicate, T5- Recommended dose of fertilizer + Micronutrients, T6- Recommended dose of fertilizer source of nitrogen through Nano urea + Potassium Silicate, T7- Recommended dose of fertilizer source of nitrogen through Nano urea + Micronutrients, T8- Recommended dose of fertilizer + Potassium Silicate + Micronutrients, T9- Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) source of nitrogen through Nano urea + Potassium Silicate + Micronutrients. Results of the study revealed that the application of recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) with source of nitrogen through nano urea along with potassium silicate and micronutrients (T9) produced the highest plant height and superior yield attributes during 2022-23. However, during 2023-24, recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) combined with potassium silicate and micronutrients (T8) performed better in terms of productive tillers hill-1, filled grains panicle-1, and grain yield. Pooled analysis revealed that T8 treatment recorded the highest grain (51.8 q ha⁻¹) and straw yield (64.9 q ha⁻¹). From the pool data it was observed that the Recommended dose of fertilizers (T2) was showed highest available nitrogen (215.6 kg ha-1), phosphorous (18.7 kg ha-1) and potassium (231.7 kg ha-1) content of soil as compare with other treatment. Economic analysis showed that T8 resulted in the highest gross (Rs. 1,02,100/- ha-1) and net returns (Rs. 57,600/- ha-1), while T5 recorded the maximum cost-benefit ratio (2.30). Overall, based on the two-year sequential cropping study, it is recommended that the application of recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) along with potassium silicate and micronutrients significantly enhances productivity and profitability in paddy cultivation.