Yield and Total Nutrient Uptake Influenced by Soil Salinity, Phosphorus Sources and Biofertilizers in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.)

Abstract

A pot experiment was laid out at Sri Karan Narendra College of Agriculture, Jobner in 2015 during kharif season using cowpea as a test crop to study the influence of soil salinity, phosphorus sources and biofertilizers on yield and total nutrient uptake by cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). The experiment was tested in completely randomized design in which three levels of each salinity (EC 1.22, 4.0 and 6.0 dS/m), phosphorus (single super phosphate, di ammonium phosphate and phosphorus rich organic manure) and biofertilizers (control, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria + vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza) were used with three replications. The experimental data showed that soil salinity (EC 1.22 dS/m) recorded significantly higher yield and total nutrient uptake by cowpea in comparison to other treatments. But nitrogen content lowest recorded at EC 1.22 dS/m. Result further revealed that phosphorus source phosphorus rich organic manure recorded significantly maximum yield and total nutrient uptake by cowpea over rest of the treatments. Furthermore, seed inoculation with phosphorus solubilizing bacteria + vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza recorded the maximum yield and nutrient uptake by cowpea over rest of the treatments. It’s concluded that combination of EC 1.22 dS/m + phosphorus rich organic manure + Biofertilizers (phosphorus solubilizing bacteria + vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza) found superior in all these parameters over the control.