Effect of Lime, Inorganic and Organic Sources on Soil Quality and Yield and Proximate Composition of Elephant Foot Yam - Black Gram System in Alfisols

ABSTRACT

A field experiment was conducted during 2015–18 to study the effect of integrated use of lime, inorganic and organic manures on soil health and yield performance of elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paenifolius L) – black gram (Vigna mungo L) system in an acid Alfisol of Eastern India. Significantly highest mean corm yield of elephant foot yam (22.72 t ha⁻¹), grain and haulm yields of black gram (7.33 and 23.87 q ha⁻¹, respectively) were recorded due to integrated application of lime + FYM + ½ NPK + MgSO₄. Graded doses of NPK showed a corm yield response of 29, 70 and 105% in elephant foot yam due to addition of 50, 100, and 150% of NPK over control, respectively. Among the organic sources, incorporation of vermicompost showed the highest corm yield (13.92 t ha⁻¹) with a yield response of 46% over control at par with neem cake (13.60 t ha⁻¹). The bio-chemical constituents in the corms of elephant foot yam were found highest due to integrated use of lime + FYM + ½ NPK + Borax. The soil fungi and actinomycetes were dominant in the soils and are involved in nutrient transformations. Highest dehydrogenase activity (0.521 µg TPF hr⁻¹ g⁻¹), fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis assay (0.709 µg TPF hr⁻¹ g⁻¹), and urease activity (142 µg NH₄-N g⁻¹ hr⁻¹) were observed due to integrated application of lime + FYM + ½ NPK + MgSO₄. Integrated application of lime, organic manure and half of the recommended doses of NPK in combination with secondary/micro nutrients not only sustains the soil quality but also enhanced the productivity of elephant foot yam – black gram cropping system in Alfisols.

KEYWORDS:

• Alfisol
• elephant foot yam
• black gram
• lime
• inorganic fertilizers
• organic manures
• soil properties
• enzyme activities
• correlations