INTEGRATED USE OF FARM MANURE AND MINERAL FERTILIZERS TO MAINTAIN SOIL QUALITY FOR BETTER COTTON (Gossypium hirsutum L.) PRODUCTION

A field experiment was conducted on cotton crop to evaluate the effect of farm manure (FM) alone and in combination with the mineral fertilizers. FM was treated with the 1% application of effective microorganism prepared with molasses to enrich the status of FM as FM-Fermented. Cotton Varity Krishma was cultivated in field with treatments viz. control, FM @ 20Mg ha^-1, FM-Fermented@ 20 Mg ha^-1, ½ NPK+FM (20 Mg ha^-1), ½ NPK+ FM-Fermented (20 Mg ha^-1) and NPK (175-85-60 kg ha^-1). The experiment was laid out according to randomized complete block design with four replications. At flowering stage fully expanded younger leaves were collocated and analysed for N, P and K contents. Growth and yield parameters of cotton like plant height, sympodial branches, no. of boll plant^-1, seed cotton boll plant^-1 and seed cotton yield kg ha^-1 were recorded. Soil was analyzed after the harvest of crop for N, P, K and organic matter contents. Data were analysed statistically. The results of the experiment indicated that application of recommended dose of NPK produced higher seed cotton yield (2660 kg ha^-1) and followed by ½ NPK+FM-Fermented (2523 kg ha^-1) and differed significantly from other treatments. There was positive increase in the N, P and K concentration in cotton leaves and in soil due to the combined application of ½ NPK+FMFermented.