Role of Organic Materials for Improving Growth and Yield of Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) in Acid Soil of Nagaland

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm, School of Agricultural Sciences, Medziphema Campus, Nagaland University during 2023 and 2024 using a completely randomized design with three replications and 11 treatments: Control, Absolute Control, Wood Ash (WA), Poultry Manure (PM), Rice Residue (RR), Vermicompost (VC), Soybean Residue (SR), and combinations (WA+PM, WA+RR, WA+VC, WA+SR) to evaluate the role of Organic Materials for Improving Growth and Yield of Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) in Acid Soil of Nagaland. Each pot contained 11 kg soil, treated with corresponding organic amendments and incubated for one month before sowing pre-soaked seeds. Observations on plant growth parameters were recorded at different growth stages (25DAS, 50DAS, and harvest), along with yield attributes and yield. Results revealed significant positive effects of all organic amendments on growth and yield parameters. T₉ (wood ash + vermicompost) recorded the highest plant height, branches per plant, leaves per plant (25 DAS, 50 DAS, harvest), pods per plant, pod length, seeds per pod, seed yield (g pot⁻¹), and stover yield (g pot⁻¹), statistically at par with T₇ (wood ash + poultry manure). The lowest performance was observed in the absolute control, indicating the adverse effect of untreated acid soil on mungbean growth. Among single amendments, vermicompost (T₆) was most effective.  The study indicates that combining wood ash with nutrient-rich organic manures, especially vermicompost, is an effective approach to ameliorate aluminium toxicity and enhance the growth and yield of mungbean in acid soils.