Effect of nutrient management practices on LAI, yield attributes and yield of blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) under rice fallow

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2017-18 at the Agronomy Main Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, to study the effect of foliar nutrient sprays on the growth and yield of black gram. The treatments included soil test-based fertilizer recommendation (STBFR), two sprays each of 2% urea, 2% DAP, and 2% NPK (18:18:18), along with their combinations—STBFR + one or two sprays of each foliar nutrient—and controls (STBFR + one water spray and one water spray alone), replicated thrice in a randomised block design. The results revealed that STBFR + two sprays of 2% NPK (18:18:18) recorded the highest leaf area index (2.67), number of pods per plant (30), seeds per pod (7.27), and test weight (31.93 g), resulting in maximum seed yield (720.40 kg ha?¹), haulm yield (1489.80 kg ha?¹), and harvest index (32.59%). Thus, combining soil test-based fertilization with two foliar sprays of NPK (18:18:18) proved most effective in enhancing growth and yield performance under the study conditions.