Productivity, profitability and quality of soybean (Glycine max) as influenced by tillage, organic manures and fertilizer doses

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Palampur, Himachal Pradesh during 2015 and 2016, to study the effect of tillage, organic manures and fertilizer doses on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with six main-plots consisting of combination of three tillage (zero tillage, minimum tillage and conventional tillage) and two organic manures (vermicompost, 5 t/ha and FYM, 10 t/ha), and three sub-plots (50, 75 and 100% recommended dose of fertilizers). Tillage, organic manures and fertilizer doses significantly affected productivity, profitability and quality of soybean. Yield attributes (pods/plant, seeds/pod and test weight), yields, productivity, net returns, benefit:cost ratio and profitability were significantly better in conventional tillage, vermicompost and 100% recommended dose of fertilizers, respectively. Conventional tillage recorded significantly higher seed yield, productivity, profitability, oil and protein contents as compared to zero tillage. The treatment,100% recommended dose of fertilizers recorded significantly higher seed yield, productivity, profitability, oil and protein contents than 50 % recommended dose of fertilizers. Vermicompost recorded significantly higher seed yield and productivity as compared to zero tillage. Under performance of zero tillage might be due to manual seed drilling and poor soil drainage. Interaction effect of tillage, organic manures and fertilizer doses on soybean remained non-significant. Conventional tillage, vermicompost and 100 % recommended dose of fertilizers proved to be the best treatments for enhancing productivity, profitability and quality of soybean under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh.

Keywords

• Fertilizer
• Organic manures
• Productivity
• Profitability
• Quality
• Soybean