Volume 14, Issue 56, 2025 (October – December)
Research Article
Chemical and Biological Synergies in Integrated Nutrient Management: Effects on Soil Fertility and Cowpea Yield
Sonali Pal, Mahipal Dudwal, Ramesh Chand Choudhary, Raju Jakhar, Khubi Poonia, and Abhijeet Beniwal.
Keywords: Pulses, Protein source, Nitrogen fixation, Kharif crop, Biofertilizers, and Rhizobium
DOI:10.37273/chesci.cs312056081
Full Text – PDF
Abstract
Production of cowpea monoculture has been identified to decrease soil health and cowpea yield; one potential solution to this problem would be mixed cultivation schemes, in particular, integrated nutrition management (INM). The effects on the growth, yield, nutrient uptake, and economics of the cowpea crop of recommended dosages of fertilizer (RDF), farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PM), and biofertilizer (Rhizobium and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, PSB) both alone and in combination (RDF + FYM + PM; FYM + PSB; PM + Rhizobium; PM + Rhizobium + PSB). A randomized block design was used for this survey, which included 12 treatments and three replications. The findings revealed that compared to single chemical fertilization, 50 percent RDF integrated with organics and biofertilizers, along with bicultural combination of integrated treatments, have yielded better post-harvest soil health and plant growth, yield quality, seed and haulm production, and profitability than single chemical fertilization.
The combination of 50% RDF + FYM/PM, both Rhizobium and PSB consistently outperformed the rest, indicating that reducing chemical reinput by half does not affect yield. The results reaffirm INM as an effective and eco-friendly strategy in cowpea nutrition.
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