Effect of organic manures and microbial culture on growth and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.)

Abstract

The present experiment was carried out during September, 2024 to March, 2025 in Research Field, Department of Horticulture, SHUATS, Prayagraj. A field experiment was undertaken to determine the optimal combination of organic manures and microbial culture treatments suited to the agroclimatic conditions of Prayagraj. The study was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising ten treatment combinations, each replicated three times. From the present experimental findings, it was observed that treatment T8 (Poultry manure (15t/ha) + Rhizobium (20 g/kg) + PSB (20 g/kg)) found best in all the parameters like plant height (64.93 cm), number of branches (17.20), number of leaves (81.83), days taken to first flowering (34.20 days), days taken to 50% (55.96), number of days to harvest (59.83), number of pods per plant (12.13), number of seeds per pod (12.95), pod length (32.96 cm), pod girth (2.59 cm) and pods yield q per hectare (108.80). In terms of maximum gross returns (Rs. 326400.00 per ha), net returns (Rs. 253262.00 per ha) and benefit-cost ratio (3.46) is found in treatment T8 followed by T3 (Poultry manure (15t/ha)), whereas minimum is recorded in treatment T1 (RDF (20:40:20 kg/ha)).