Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Yield of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Abstract

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is well recognised as one of the most significant oilseed crops cultivated worldwide, known for its high quality. A good crop of sunflowers can be grown in areas with rainfall of 300-500 mm. Sunflowers possess the potential to mitigate the prevailing shortage of edible oil due to their significant role in emergency crop management strategies. The current study aims to assess the impact of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) with organic manure of farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost, poultry manure and inorganic fertilisers on the yield of sunflower. A field experiment was conducted with 10 treatments, viz. 3 types of organic sources, viz. FYM, poultry manure and vermicompost, inorganic nutrients and growth regulators in the spring season 2022– 2023 at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab. The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design. After analysis, the data clearly showed significant differences among treatments in sunflower yield. Among the entire treatments, Maximum capitulum diameter (22.7 cm) was recorded with 50% N through vermicompost + seed dressing and foliar application of manganese sulphate, respectively, @ 1.0% and 0.5% at 40 and 60 DAS. The Permanent Manurial Experiment at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, was established to evaluate the effects of continuous application of organic and mineral fertilisers on crop yield and soil quality. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomised Design (CRD) comprising seven treatments, each replicated three times. The application of 50% N through vermicompost + seed dressing and foliar application of manganese sulphate, respectively, @ 1.0% and 0.5% at 40 and 60 days after sowing (DAS) is thus recommended for sunflower cultivation in sandy loamy soils, considering the yield of sunflower (Gahlot & Singh, 2023). The results indicated that the integrated application of 100% NPK with farmyard manure (FYM) at 12.5 t ha⁻¹ (INM) significantly increased sunflower seed yield to 1,879 kg ha⁻¹ and straw yield to 3,916 kg ha⁻¹ compared to the control. Maximum seed yield (2156.67 kg ha-1) was recorded in 50% N through vermicompost + seed dressing and foliar application of manganese sulphate respectively @ 1.0% and 0.5% at 40 and 60 DAS which was at par with 50% N through poultry manure + seed dressing and foliar application of sodium molybdate @ 0.2% at 40 and 60 DAS and 50% N through FYM + seed dressing and foliar application of manganese sulphate respectively @ 1.0% and 0.5% at 40 and 60 DAS with 2076.67 and 2056.67 kg ha-1 respectively. The study concludes that it is expected to offer an environmentally sustainable, scientifically sound, and economically feasible approach.