Journal of Environmental Biology

Direct, residual and direct + residual effects of ulphur in garlic (Allium sativum) – maize (Zea mays) ropping sequence

R.C. Jaggi* and S.K. Raina

Department of Soil Science, Choudhary Sarvan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur - 176 062, India

(Received: July 15, 2006 ; Revised received: November 06, 2006 ; Accepted: December 29, 2006)

Abstract: Significant positive effects of 30 kg/ha of sulphur as manifested on yield and yield parameters of garlic were further carried over to following maize crop. Garlic bulb and foliage yield (6.3 and 0.8 t/ha respectively) obtained at 30 kg/ha of sulphur dose was significantly higher over without sulphur (3.7 and 0.5 t/ha respectively) as revealed from two years’ pooled data. Similarly number of leaves/plant, weight of cloves/5bulbs and weight/100 cloves at the said sulphur dose significantly increased over without sulphur from 10.5 to 11.9, 98.3 to 141.2 g and from 159 to 217 g in respective manner. Increase in grain yield of maize (residual effect) and in the economic yield of the whole cropping sequence (Bulb yield of garlic and grain yield of maize) i.e. direct plus residual effect at 30 kg/ha of sulphur dose over without sulphur was from 28.3 to 47.2 and from 71 to 116 q/ha in respective manner i.e. with significant differences. Sulphur use efficiencies (kg yield/kg sulphur) of these crops at 15, 30 and 45 kg/ha over no sulphur were 57, 43 and 32; 53, 63 and 6 and 160, 150 and 67, all in respective order. An optimum sulphur dose of 44.3 kg/ha produced increased bulb yield (over no S) worth Rs 34892 over fertilizer cost giving B:C ratio of 31.5 : 1. Utilization of sulphur added at 15, 30 and 45 kg/ha rates was 24.1, 19.3 and 15.7% by the garlic crop; and 29.6. 24.5 and 9.02% by the following maize crop, thus, adding up to 54.1, 43.8 and 24.9% by the cropping sequence, all in respective order.

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