Integrated Nutrient Management to increase Productivity and Profitability in Dual Purpose Oat (Avena sativa L.)

Field experiments were carried out to Study the Integrated Nutrient Management to increase Productivity and Profitability in Dual Purpose Oat (Avena sativa L.) at Genetics and Plant Breeding Research Farm, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh (UP), during Rabi season 2018-19. The experiment was laid out in Randomized block design (RBD) with three replications and nine treatments viz., T1: Control, T2: RDF (100 kg N : 40 kg P2O5 : 40 kg K2O ha-1), T3: 75 % RDN + Vermicompost @ 2t ha-1, T4: T3 + PSB (soil application @ 1.5 kg ha-1), T5: T4 + Azotobacter (seed treatment @10g kg-1 seed), T6: T5 + ZnSO4 @ 20 kg ha-1 (soil application as basal ), T7: T5+ ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (soil application as basal), T8: T6 + Foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.5%) at just before flowering, T9: T7 + Foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.5%) at just before flowering. Results revealed that higher yield attributes viz. panicle length (37.40cm), panicle weight (9.80g), number of grain panicle-1 (56.33), test weight (48.70g), green forage yield (90.60 q ha-1), dry matter yield (17.51 q ha-1), yield parameters viz. grain yield (16.51 q ha-1), straw yield (72.97 q ha-1) and profitability viz. gross income (INR 82069.5 ha-1), net income (INR 51605.5 ha-1) and B:C ratio (1.69) of oat for T8: 75% RDN + Vermicompost @ 2t ha-1 + PSB (soil) @ 1.5 kg ha-1 + Azotobacter (seed treatment) @ 10 g kg-1 of seed + ZnSO4 @ 20 kg ha-1 (basal) + foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.5%) at just before flowering of oat as compared to the control. Whereas, application of organic and inorganic fertilizers in combinations viz., Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Vermicompost, Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB), Azotobacter and Zinc had a significant effect on total biomass production, yield attributes, yield and profitability of oat.