Maximizing Nutrient Efficiency and Profitability: Integrating NADEP Compost and Phosphorous Solubilizing Bacteria in Black Gram (Vigna mungo. L) Cultivation

Abstract

Chemical fertilizers primarily focus on providing a few essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), neglecting other micronutrients required for healthy plant growth. This imbalance can lead to nutrient deficiencies in plants and subsequently in the food produced. Contributing to better food security and improved nutrition for the growing population, these organic manures and biofertilizers provide essential nutrients to the plants, improving their nutrient content and overall nutritional quality, which are highly valuable for addressing the nutritional needs of a growing population. Contrarily, imbalanced nutrition decreases productivity and deteriorates soil fertility, inturn increases the cost of cultivation. This problem can be only solved by quantifying biofertilizer integration with organic nutrients. With this in mind, an experiment was conducted in 2021 at the crop research center of the ITM University's School of Agriculture in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Using a randomized block design with three replications of three different organic manures and bio-fertilizers. There are ten distinct treatments (from T1 to T10). Different types of organic manures and biofertilizers had a substantial impact on nutrition intake. The highest nutrient uptake (N, P, K, and Zn) was achieved when NADEP-2 t/ha + PSB-2.5 lit/ha (T7) was applied in a manner comparable to the absolute control, that is, without the treatment of organic manures and biofertilizer. Furthermore, economics of different treatment, the maximum gross returns (Rs 1,48,995 ha-1), net returns (Rs 1,11,335 ha-1) and B:C ratio (2.95) was recorded under treatment T7 for Urd bean.