Effect of Organic and Inorganic Sources of Nutrients on Growth and Yield of Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.) in Bihar

A field experiment was conducted at Nalanda College of Horticulture, Noorsarai, Nalanda during summer 2017 to assess the effect of complementary and sole applications of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth and yield of bottle gourd under onion-onion-bottle gourd crop sequence. The experiment consists of seven treatments viz.,T1-Inorganic fertilizers (120 Kg N: 60 Kg P2O5 and 40 Kg K2O); T2-50% NPK through inorganic fertilizer + 50%N through FYM; T3-50% N through FYM + 50% N through VC; T4-1/3 of N through FYM + VC + Neemcake; T5-50% N through FYM + PSB + Azotobactor; T6-T3 + PSB + Azotobactor and T7-T4 + PSB + Azotobactor. These seven treatments were replicated thrice in Randomized Block Design. Results revealed that T1-100% NPK through inorganic fertilizer recorded 225.7 q ha-1 fruit yield, which was statistically at par with T2 and T6 producing (211.8 and 209.5 q ha-1). Vine length differed significantly at all the growth stages. T1 recorded maximum vine length (51.8, 370.3 and 464.7 cm) at 30, 60 and 90 DAS, which was significantly higher over T5 at 30 DAS, over T4 and T5 at 60 DAS and over T5 at 90 DAS. Among organics, T6 recorded longest vine, while T5 recorded shortest. No. of branches were found non-significant at 30 DAS but it become significant at 60 and 90 DAS and found significantly highest in T6 over all the treatments. After completion of the cropping system; onion-onion-bottle gourd, soils were subjected to analysis. pH differed significantly, while non-significant difference were observed in EC and soil Org-C. Similarly, available N and P concentration were also found non-significant due to different fertilizer sources, but the concentration of available K differed significantly and found highest in T1 which was at par with T2. T1-100% inorganic fertilizer sources recorded highest gross return, net return and B: C ratio followed by T2. On the basis of result it has been concluded that T2 having 50% NPK through inorganic fertilizer + 50% N through FYM may found suitable for sustainable bottle gourd production as it performed at par with T1 in respect to crop growth and yield.