INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT FOR CABBAGE-BRINJAL-RED AMARANTH CROPPING PATTERN IN HOMESTEAD AREA

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of organic manure and chemical fertilizers on soil properties and vegetable crops in the cabbage-brinjal-red amaranth cropping pattern at the homestead in a Grey Terrace Soil (Aric Albaquept) of Bangladesh. There were eight treatments: poultry manure (PM) at 5 t ha⁻¹, cowdung (CD) at 10 t ha⁻¹, household waste (HW) at 10 t ha⁻¹, PM at 2.5 t ha⁻¹ + chemical fertilizers (CF), CD at 5 t ha⁻¹ + CF, HW at 5 t ha⁻¹ + CF, CF, and Control. The lone CF treatment indicates 100% chemical fertilizers and any manure + CF indicates supplementary or reduced rate of fertilizers. The PM at 2.5 t ha⁻¹ + CF treatment performed the best yield for cabbage and brinjal, and HW at 5 t ha⁻¹ + CF yielded the highest for red amaranth. The highest uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur was also found in the treatment that produced the highest yield. Bulk density, organic carbon, and nutrient availability in soil as determined after two-crop cycles were improved due to the applications of manure.

Keywords:

• manure
• fertilizer
• vegetables
• soil fertility

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We are grateful to National Agroforestry Working Group for providing the financial support to carry out this study.