Direct and residual effect of organic manure amended sulphur on yield and nutrient uptake in mustard-rice cropping system

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the direct effect of different level of sulphur alone or in combination with organic manures on mustard and residual effect on rice crops in calcareous soil of north India. Sulphur application significantly increased the yield of mustard as well as rice, S concentration and its uptake by mustard (seed+stover) as well as available –S content in post- harvest soil samples after mustard and rice (grain+straw). The optimum level of S was worked out to be 60 kg S ha -1 for mustard seed and stover production. However, with regards to total S uptake, the optimum dose appeared at 100 kg S ha-1. The beneficial effect of organic manure was evident in enhancing the seed and stover production, S-c oncentration in seed, S-uptake (Seed+Stover) by mustard and available-S content in post-harvest soil samples from 9.8 to 10.7 q ha-1, 37.5 to 40.5 q ha-1, 0.779 to 0.821 per cent, 20.39 to 32.47 kg ha-1 and 25.7 to 86.5 mg kg-1, respectively and the grain yield, S-content in grain, straw, total S-uptake (grain + straw) and available S content in post-harvest samples of rice from 47.2 to 49.8 q ha-1, 0.088 to 0.098 per cent, 0.123 to 0.175 per cent, 13.83 to 17.98 kg ha-1 and 24.2 to 37.9 mg kg-1, respectively. Among the organic manures, biogas slurry (BGS) proved to be better source in enhancing seed yield, stover/straw yield, S-uptake, and available-S in post-harvest soil samples after mustard and rice. The residual effect of higher level of S along with BGS proved more effective with respect to S nutrition to rice.