Studies on the effect of different methods of microbial consortia application on growth and yield of pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] under integrated nutrient management

Introduction

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.), widely known as tur, arhar, or red gram, is an important pulse crop cultivated primarily for its edible seeds. It belongs to Fabaceae (or Leguminosae) family. Owing to its adaptability and diverse uses, the crop is extensively grown in semi-arid and tropical regions across the world. It originated from the Indian subcontinent roughly 3500 years ago (Van der Maesen, 1980) [12] . Pigeon pea is a nutritionally important pulse crop, with seeds containing approximately 18-25% protein, 45-60% carbohydrates, about 8% crude fibre, and 2-3% fat. Its favourable nutritional composition makes it an important complement to cereal-based diets, as legumes and cereals provide complementary amino-acid profiles (Haji et al., 2024) [6] . India is the major producer and consumer of pigeon pea, however, fluctuations in production due to climatic variability and other production constraints necessitate improved and sustainable crop management practices. The excessive reliance on chemical fertilizers has contributed to soil degradation, reduced microbial activity and declining soil organic carbon content (Ghosh et al., 2020) [5] . Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), which combines organic manures, inorganic fertilizers and microbial consortia such as biomix, has emerged as a sustainable approach for enhancing crop productivity, improving nutrient-use efficiency and maintaining soil fertility. The integration of chemical fertilizers with organic manures has been reported to sustain soil health and productivity while stabilizing crop production compared with the use of individual components alone (Yadav & Prasad, 1992) [13] . A microbial consortium (Biomix) was developed at VNMKV, Parbhani,), comprising a combination of fourteen beneficial microorganisms viz., Trichoderma spp., Pseudomonas spp., Paecilomyces, Beauveria, Gluconacetobacter, Bacillus, Verticillium lecanii, Azospirillum, Aspergillus, Metarhizium spp. and pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFM). The use of microbial consortia can enhance nutrient availability, promote plant growth, reduce dependence on chemical inputs while improving crop productivity and soil health and contribute to the biological management of pests and diseases. (Neware et al., 2025) [8] . However, the effectiveness of microbial consortia may vary depending on the method of application, including seed treatment, soil application and foliar spray. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to identify an effective method of microbial consortia application on the growth and yield of pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] under integrated nutrient management.

Materials and Methods

An experiment was conducted during kharif season, 2025-2026 at the Experimental Farm of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Latur, which is situated on an elevation of 633.5 m above the mean sea level, between 18 o 5' to 18 o 24' N and 77 o 36' E latitude under semi-arid region of Maharashtra state. The mean maximum temperature during crop growth period was 26.54 °C while the mean minimum temperature was 17.18 °C. The mean humidity during morning was 87.59% while mean humidity during evening was 49.92%. The soil of experimental plot was clayey in texture with chemical composition such as low in available nitrogen (140.61 kg ha 1 ), medium in available phosphorous (16.56 kg ha - 1 ) and very high in available potassium (694.72 kg ha -1 ). The soil was slightly alkaline in reaction and having pH 7.64. The experimental field was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with seven treatments replicated three times. The treatments were T₁: RDF; T₂: RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹; T₃: T₂ + seed treatment of microbial consortia @ 6 ml kg⁻¹ seed; T₄: T₂ + soil application of microbial consortia @ 10 kg ha⁻¹; T₅: T₂ + foliar spray of microbial consortia @ 1% at 60 and 90 DAS; T₆: T₂ + drenching with microbial consortia @ 2% at 60 and 90 DAS; and T₇: Control. Sowing was done by dibbling with seed rate of 15 kg/ha. Pigeon pea variety BDN 716 (Godawari) was sown with recommended fertilizer dose of 25:50:00 NPK kg/ha. Gross plot was of size 5.4 m x 4.5 m and net plot of 3.6 m x 3.9 m. Soil application of nitrogen and phosphorous was applied through urea and SSP respectively at the time of sowing and FYM was applied at 15 days before sowing. Microbial consortia (biomix) application was given as per treatment. Standard package of practices was followed as per VNMKV guidelines. The recommended cultural practices and plant protection measures were taken. Five plants were randomly selected and tagged from each net plot to record biometric observations at various growth stages. These same plants were later harvested individually for post-harvest analysis. The data collected from various observations were organized into tables and analyzed using analysis of variance (Panse and Sukhatme, 1967) [9] .

Result and Discussion

The application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + soil application of microbial consortia @10 kg/ha (T 4 ) recorded significantly higher plant height at all growth stages of the crop which was at par with application of RDF +FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ drenching with microbial consortia @ 2% at 60 and 90 DAS (T 6 ) and was also found significantly superior over rest of the treatments. The results indicated that the combined effect of chemical fertilizers, FYM and soil-applied microbial consortia improves nutrient availability, enhances microbial activity in the rhizosphere, promotes root proliferation, and facilitates greater uptake of essential nutrients throughout the crop growth period. The present findings are in agreement with Devaraj et al., (2024) [4] and Aiholli et al., (2025) [1] who observed enhanced vegetative growth of pigeon pea under integrated nutrient management involving FYM and biofertilizer inoculation due to improved nutrient availability and enhanced microbial activity in the root zone.

Number of functional leaves and leaf area plant -1

The application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + soil application of microbial consortium @10 kg/ha (T 4 ) recorded significantly higher number of leaves and leaf per plant at all growth stages of the crop which was at par with application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ drenching with microbial consortia @ 2% at 60 and 90 DAS (T 6 ) and was also found significantly higher over rest of the treatments from 90 DAS onwards. The integrated activity of beneficial microorganisms, together with FYM enhances biological nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, and the availability of essential nutrients. Plant growth promoting microorganisms also produced phytohormones such as auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins, which stimulated leaf initiation, cell division, and leaf expansion. Furthermore, Trichoderma species improved root growth and nutrient uptake, while FYM enhanced soil physical properties, moisture retention, and microbial proliferation. The combined effects of these factors resulted in greater leaf expansion and a larger photosynthetic surface area. These findings are in agreement with the findings of Maskar et al., (2018) [7] and Devaraj et al., (2024) [4] .

Number of primary branches and secondary branches per plant

The application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ soil application of microbial consortia @10 kg/ha (T 4 ) recorded the highest number of primary branches and was at par with RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ drenching with microbial consortia @ 2% at 60 and 90 DAS (T 6 ) which also found to be significantly superior over all other treatments. The superior performance of soil application over drenching, seed treatment and foliar spray indicates that direct incorporation of microbial consortia into the soil provided prolonged microbial colonization and sustained nutrient release in the root zone, thereby enhancing vegetative growth throughout the crop growth period. These findings are in conformity with the results of Sahay et al., (2016) [11] and Devaraj et al., (2024) [4] .

Total dry matter accumulation per plant

The application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ soil application of microbial consortia@10 kg/ha (T 4 ) recorded significantly higher plant dry matter plant -1 at all growth stages of the crop which was at par with application of RDF +FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ drenching with microbial consortia @ 2% at 60 and 90 DAS (T 6 ) and was also found significantly superior over rest of the treatments at 90, 120, 150 and at harvest. The superior performance of soil application over seed treatment, foliar spray, and drenching indicates that direct incorporation of the microbial consortium into the soil facilitated better microbial establishment in the rhizosphere, ensuring sustained nutrient release and enhanced nutrient uptake throughout the crop growth period. The present findings are in agreement with Parimala Kumar et al., (2022) [10] and Devaraj et al., (2024) [4] .

The highest seed yield (2975 kg ha -1 ), stalk yield (8633 kg ha -1 ) and biological yield (11602 kg ha 1 ) were recorded with the application of treatment RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + soil application of microbial consortia @ 10 kg ha⁻¹(T 4 ) which was at par with the application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ drenching of microbial consortia @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ (T 6 ) and was found to be significantly superior over rest of treatments. Highest harvest index (25.65) was observed with the application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + soil application of microbial consortia @ 10 kg ha⁻¹(T 4 ). The integrated application of RDF, FYM and soil application of microbial consortia greater plant height, higher leaf area index, increased crop growth rate, better dry matter accumulation and improved yield components such as the number of pods and seeds per plant. The enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and efficient partitioning of assimilates during pod development resulted in better seed filling and ultimately higher grain yield and accumulation of dry matter in both vegetative and reproductive plant parts. These findings were in line with the conclusions of De et al., (2025) [3] , Devaraj et al., (2024) [4] and Parimala Kumar et al., (2022) [10] .

Conclusion

From above results it is concluded that the application of treatment RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + soil application of microbial consortia @ 10 kg ha⁻¹(T 4 ) was found to be remunerative for getting higher growth and yield attributes as well as yield of pigeon pea which was closely followed by the application of RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹+ drenching of microbial consortia @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ (T 6 ).

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementWe are grateful to Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture Latur, VNMKV, Parbhani for the financial assistance and infrastructural facilities provided for the conduct of this research work.

References

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