Synergistic effects of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with microbial consortia on rice productivity in coastal saline ecosystems

Abstract

A field experiment on “Effect of integrated nutrient management in rice under coastal saline soils” was conducted at the Experimental Farm, Annamalai University, during the Navarai season 2023. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with ten integrated nutrient management (INM) treatments and three replications. The results revealed that the treatment receiving 25% N through farmyard manure + 25% N through Green leaf manure (Pongamia glabra) + 50% RDN + microbial consortia (T9) recorded significantly higher growth (98.38 cm) and grain yield (5629 kg ha-1) compared to RDF (T1). Still, it was on par with T10 (25% N through Municipal compost waste + 25% N through Green leaf manure (Pongamia glabra) + 50% RDN + Microbial consortia). The treatment T9 increases grain yield, straw yield, biological yield, and harvest index by 40.2%, 31.8%, 35.1%, and 3.7% over 100% RDF (T1), respectively. Soil microbial populations of bacteria, fungi, and actinobacteria were significantly enhanced in treatments combined with organic amendments and microbial consortia. These findings indicated that integrated organic manures and inorganic fertilizers significantly improved rice growth, yield, and microbial population in coastal regions.