Uptake pattern of nutrients and yield of Bt Cotton as influenced by different nutrient management practices in a vertisol

Abstract

The field experiment of Bt cotton to evaluate different nutrient management practices was conducted on Vertisol during kharif 2016. The experiment was laid out in RBD design and replicated three times. The experiment consisted of eight treatments involving STCR, modified STCR and STL approaches, blanket recommendation and control. The soil of the experimental site was alkaline in reaction, non saline and low in available nitrogen and high in available phosphorus and potassium.Uptake of major, secondary and micronutrients at 75, 115 and harvest was higher with 100 per cent application of nutrients through STCR equation to attain target yield of 40 q ha-1 compared to STL approaches and blanket recommendation and the former was on par with those recorded under modified STCR approach (application of 50% P, full dose of N and K of STCR equation). The higher uptake of these nutrients by cotton crop reflected on higher seed cotton yield (36.2 q ha-1) compared to other treatment combinations.