Influence of Soil Amendment on Growth, Yield, Chemical and Biological Properties in Tea Soil of North East India

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted at Jorhat, Assam to evaluate the efficacy of microbial based soil amendment (manufactured by Cisbay) in combination with reduced doses of inorganic NPK fertilizers in tea soils and its effect on yield and soil chemical as well as biological properties. The experiment was conducted in a randomised block design with 3 replications and 6 treatments. Among various treatments, soils treated with 75% RDF + AGN soil amendment @ 14.4 L/ha/year recorded the highest (183.83) number of plucking points/m2/round of plucking over other treatments. The same treatment also produced 4.03 per cent more yield compared to 100% RDF (Control) though the treatment effect was found to be not significant. The highest percentage (47.95%) of fine shoots was also reported under this treatment. Regarding soil chemical properties, pH was significantly affected by the application of the soil amendment though there was no significant difference among control, 75% RDF + AGN soil amendment @ 14.4 L/ha/year and 100% RDF + AGN soil amendment @ 14.4 L/ha/year in top soil. In sub soil, pH of the soil was significantly increased in all treatments when compared to control. However, soil organic carbon in top soil was not affected by the treatments. Application of AGN soil amendment along with RDF had no negative impact on mold population in soil. However, population of bacteria was reduced at the end of the cropping period.