Integrated Effect of Mixed Cake and Farm Yard Manure on Mulberry Sericulture in Acid Soils of Kalimpong Hills

Abstract

A pilot study was conducted during 2013-16 at Regional Sericultural Research Station, Kalimpong, West Bengal research farm with five treatments and four replications to study the integrated effect of mixed cake and FYM on existing mulberry variety BC259 (Morus alba L.). This study was also extended to check its adverse effect on silkworm rearing of SK6xSK7 silkworm (Bombyx mori L.). The mixed cake was applied through ‘Spic Surabhi'. The main ingredient in Spic Surabhi was oilseed cake of Neem, Groundnut, Castor and Sesame with Turmeric powder and Pungamia extracts. These oil cakes were fortified well together in a well balanced mixed with NPK. Based on data analyzed, it was found that the integrated application of mixed cake @1.0 mt + FYM@ 7.5 mt ha-1 (T4) and mixed cake@1.5 mt + FYM@ 5.0 mt ha-1 (T5) performed economically and significantly better than rest of the treatments. The annual leaf yield of treatment T4 and T5 ranged from 16.44 to 16.49 mt ha-1 with 32.0 to 32.42% leaf yield gain against control T1 (12.45 mt ha-1). The nutritional quality like moisture content, total chlorophyll, total soluble protein, total soluble sugar, total N, total P and crude protein were also recorded higher with T4 and T5 than rest of the treatment. Silkworm rearing performance reveals that the mulberry leaves with above nutrient combinations do not have an adverse effect on single cocoon weight, cocoon yield and shell% respectively. The higher cost-benefit ratio T4 and T5 was 1:2.03% with net profit . 2.13 Lakhs ha-1 year-1 after the application of T4 and T5 treatment than control.