Influence of tillage and nutrient management on fodder productivity and economics of Oat in rice-oat cropping system

Abstract

The research took place over three consecutive rabi seasons from 2011 to 2014 at the AICRP on Forage Crops, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur (MP). The soil at the experimental site is sandy clay loam with medium organic carbon content (0.61%). It has moderate levels of available nitrogen (365.20 kg N/ha) and phosphorus (17.97 kg P2O5/ha), but high levels of available potassium (308.12 kg K2O/ha). The soil's pH is close to neutral (7.24), and its soluble salt concentration (0.35 ds/m) is within safe limits. The experiment followed a split-plot design with three replications. The main plots were assigned three tillage methods: zero tillage, minimal tillage, and conventional tillage. The sub-plots received four levels of nutrient management: 75% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), 75% RDF with bio-fertilizers (Azotobacter and PSB), 100% RDF, and 100% RDF with a combination of bio-fertilizers. Higher yields of green fodder were observed with minimal tillage, followed by conventional tillage. The lowest yield was recorded with zero tillage (6.14 t/ha). Maximum green fodder yield was achieved with the application of 100% RDF along with bio-fertilizers, which was statistically similar to the application of 100% RDF alone. The lowest yield was recorded with 75% RDF under conventional tillage.