Impact of Organic Manures and Foliar Spray of Moringa Leaf Extract (Moringa oleifera L.) on Growth and Yield of Rice Bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi and Ohashi]

Abstract

A field experiment on rice bean was conducted during Kharif, 2021 at SMOF (SHIATS Model Organic Farm), Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P), India. The soil of the experiment plot was sandy loam in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 7.2), low in organic carbon (0.51%), available nitrogen (230 kg/ha), available phosphorus (17.80 kg/ha) and available potassium (245.10 kg/ha). The foliar spray of Moringa oleifera L. extract was applied twice at different concentrations (5.0, 10.0 and 20.0% v/v) with different organic manures (pig manure, goat manure and neem cake) applied at 5 t/ha and control plot with water spray. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with ten treatments each replicated thrice. As compared to other treatments, the results disclosed that application of neem cake 5t/ha + 20% moringa leaf extract recorded highest plant height (105.78 cm), nodules per plant at 60 DAS (35.64), branches per plant (20.61), plant dry weight (35.01 g/plant), pods per plant (25.85), seeds per pod (7.45), test weight (50.52 g), seed yield (1.66 t/ha), stover yield (3.72 t/ha), harvest index (30.86 %). Therefore, application of neem cake and foliar application of Moringa oleifera L. might be a promising option for yield enhancement of rice bean.