Effect of Different Manures on Growth, Yield and Profitability of Small Scale Brinjal (Egg-Plant) Cultivation in Gunny Bag

Brinjal, being a long duration vegetable crop, requires appropriate supply of proper nutrition for sustainable and quality yield. Besides, adverse climatic and inadequate cultivable land add a problem for commercial or even subsistence farming with eggplant especially in the ecologically vulnerable southern region of Bangladesh. Therefore, an experiment on small scale brinjal cultivation in gunny bags (60 cm × 50 cm) was undertaken. The study on variation in growth and yield parameters in brinjal (cv. Muktokeshi) under different organic manures, fertilizers and their combinations was carried out during October 2017 to June 2018 at the Germplasm Center of Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna. The experiment consisted of seven treatments and was laid out in Completely Randomized Design with seven replications. The treatments were T0 (Control), T1 (100% Cowdung), T2 (100% FYM), T3 (50% Soil+50% Recommended Fertilizers), T4 (50% Soil+ 50% WH), T5 (50% Soil+50% CD), T6 (50% Soil+50% FYM), T7 (50% WH+50% CD), T8 (50% WH+50% FYM), T9 (50% FYM+50% CD). Healthy and disease free 30 days old seedlings were transplanted at 15 days after bag preparation. Statistically significant differences among the treatments were noted in respect of all the growth parameters including yield and yield attributing characters. Maximum plant height (60.04 cm) was recorded in treatment T6 (50% Soil+50% FYM) followed by (50.04 cm) in T5 (50% Soil + 50% CD) at 90 days after transplanting (DAT). Superiority was also showed by the treatment T6 (50% Soil+50% FYM) in terms of producing the highest number of branches (15.21 branches/plant) and leaves (40.21 leaves/plant) at 90 DAT. Manures had marked influence on flowering behavior on brinjal. The earliest flowering was occurred in T6 (50% Soil+50% FYM) treatment (23.49 days) followed by T5 (50% Soil + 50% CD) treatment (31.07 days). While control plants and plants treated with 50% Soil+50% RD required longer period for flowering (44.0 days and 45.07 days, respectively). Again, significantly maximum number of fruits per plant, the heaviest fruit and the highest fruit yield per bag were registered in plants under T6 (50% Soil+50% FYM) treatment (42.0, 104.6 g and 4.39 kg, respectively) which was statistically followed by T5 (50% Soil + 50% CD) treatment. In addition an increase in yield of 164.68 % and 169.02 % over control was also noticed in treatment T5 and T6, respectively. Though maximum net return per bag (BDT 89.68 Tk.) was incurred in the treatment T6, statistically similar but with the highest BCR value was observed in T5 due to the higher purchase cost of FYM than others (a BCR of 3.18, 3.57 and 3.13 in T4, T5 and T6, respectively). So, Cowdung, Farm yard manure and Water hyacinth can be mixed with soil for small scale and profitable brinjal cultivation in bag.