Evaluation of cotton stalk biochar with organic and inorganic fertilizers for groundnut and soil nutrient dynamics

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh to assess the “Effect of cotton stalk biochar on growth, nutrient accumulation and yield of summer groundnut and soil properties” during the summer season of 2022 and 2023. On the basis of the results obtained from the two-years field experimentation, it seems quite logical to conclude that the application of 75% RDF(25:50:50 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1) + FYM at 5 t ha-1 prior enriched with Rhizobium spp. at 2.0 lit., Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) at 2.0 lit., Potassium solubilizing bacteria (KSB) at 2.0 lit., Trichoderma harzianum at 2.0 kg., Pseudomonas fluorescence at 2.0 kg, Beauveria bassiana at 2.0 kg per hectare exhibited its superiority in respect of soil available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur under medium black calcareous soil. Further, application of 100% RDF + cotton stalk biochar at 4.5 t ha-1 and 75% RDF + cotton stalk biochar at 4.5 t ha-1 prior enriched with Rhizobium spp. at 2.0 lit., Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) at 2.0 lit., Potassium solubilizing bacteria (KSB) at 2.0 lit., Trichoderma harzianum at 2.0 kg., Pseudomonas fluorescence at 2.0 kg, Beauveria bassiana at 2.0 kg per hectare also equally effective in soil available nutrients. The experiments results revealed that with application of 75% RDF + FYM at 5 t ha-1 improved the periodical soil available nutrients status up to harvest of groundnut which maintained statistical equivalence with 100% RDF + cotton stalk biochar at 4.5 t ha-1 and 75% RDF + cotton stalk biochar at 4.5 t ha-1.