Impact of Integrated Nutrient Management Using Inorganic Fertilizers, Humic Acid, Vermicompost, and PGPR on Growth and Yield of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Abstract

The present investigation entitled “Influence of varying doses of inorganic fertilizers, humic acid, vermicompost and PGPR on growth and yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)” was conducted during Rabi 2021-22 and 2022-23 at the College of Agriculture, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications comprising fifteen treatments involving 100% and 75% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) integrated with humic acid, vermicompost and PGPR (Azotobacter, PSB, KSB and SSB). The pooled results revealed that treatment T15 (75% RDF + humic acid + vermicompost + Azotobacter + PSB + KSB + SSB) recorded significantly superior performance in terms of growth, biomass and yield attributes. Maximum stem diameter (9.12, 10.45 and 11.69 mm at 30, 60 and 90 DAP, respectively), fresh weight of shoots (195.07 g), dry weight of shoots (30.59 g), average tuber diameter (7.12 cm) and tuber yield (42.45 kg/plot) were observed under T15, which remained statistically at par with T13, T12, T14 and T11 in most cases. The minimum values for all parameters were recorded under T1 (100% RDF). The improved performance under integrated treatments may be attributed to enhanced nutrient availability, improved soil health, increased microbial activity and better physiological efficiency of the crop. Thus, it can be concluded that application of 75% RDF along with humic acid, vermicompost and PGPR is an effective and sustainable nutrient management strategy for improving growth and yield of potato.