Effect of farmyard manure, vermicompost and chemical nutrients on growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Adequate and balanced nutrition is essential for obtaining high grain yields. The aim of the study was to find out proper nutrient management in chickpea using different sources of nutrients. rwo field experiments were conducted to study the effects of Farmyard manure (FYM), phosphorus, sine sulphate, vermicompost and nitrogen+phosphorus application on the growth and yield of chickpea. On the basis of three-year mean, as compared to no application of nutrients, the application of 5 t FYM ha -1 improved chickpea grain yield by 14.89%, 30 and 60 kg P 2O 5ha -1 by L4.81 and 21.85% and 25 kg ZnSO 4ha -1 by 5.18%. Chickpea grain yield increased with successive ncrease in dose of vermicompost from 0 to 3 and 2 t ha -1 seemed to be the optimum dose. Applications of 10 kg N + 20 kg P 2O 5ha -1 and 20 kg N + 40 kg P 2O 5ha -1 increased the grain yield 3y 18.97 and 24.20%, respectively over no application of nitrogen and phosphorus. Increase in grain yield with the application of various nutrients was due to improvement in plant growth and field attributes. The study highlights the importance of using nutrients through various sources for realizing high productivity of chickpea. © 2012 Academic Journals Inc.