Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth, Yield Attributes, Yield and Economics of Off-season Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis L.) Grown under North Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha

Abstract

The experiment was conducted during 2019 (July–October) at farmer’s field in Kandhamal district of Odisha under Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kandhamal, Zone-V, Kolkata, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India to study the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes, yield and economics of off-season cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis L.). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) consisted of four treatments with seven replications. The treatments comprised of T₁: Farmer’s practice (FYM @ 1 t ha^-1 and fertilizer @ 60-40-30 kg N-P₂O₅K₂O ha^-1), T₂: 100% RDF @120:60:60 kg N-P₂O₅-K₂O ha^-1, T₃: Soil test based NPK+FYM @5 t ha^-1 and T₄: Soil test based NPK+FYM @5 t ha^-1+Boron. From the experiment it was found that integrated application of chemical fertilizers as per soil test results, organic manures (FYM @ 5 t ha^-1) and micronutrient (boron) was the best option for achieving better yield. The highest plant height (57.3 cm), number of leaves plant^-1 (22.7), leaf length (35.6 cm), curd yield (188.4 q ha^-1), marketable curd weight (635.4 g), net return (` 1,48,260 ha<sup>-1</sup>) and B C ratio (1:3.2) were recorded with the treatment T<sub>4</sub> followed by and T<sub>2</sub>. Whereas, the lowest values of growth parameters like plant height (40.7 cm), number of leaves plant<sup>-1</sup> (16.2), leaf length (26.1 cm), curd yield (140.2 q ha<sup>-1</sup>), marketable curd weight (466.8 g), net return (` 1,01,130 ha^-1) and B C ratio (1:2.7) were recorded with the treatment T₁.