EFFECT OF POTASSIUM HUMATE AND BIO-INOCULANTS ON COWPEA [Vigna unguiculata L. WALP] INFLUENCE OF SOIL FERTILITY, ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY AND MICROBIAL POPULATION IN SOIL

PRADIP TRIPURA¹, RAJHANS VERMA², SUNIL KUMAR³*
¹Department of Soil Science and Agriculture Chemistry, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagharh, Gujrat, 362001, India
²Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, SKN College of Agriculture, Jobner, 303329, India
³Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
* Corresponding Author : sunilgoyam675@gmail.com

Received : 07-09-2016     Accepted : 18-09-2016     Published : 01-11-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 53       Pages : 2638 - 2641
Int J Agr Sci 8.53 (2016):2638-2641

Keywords : Potassium humate, Bio-inoculants, Soil fertility, Enzymatic activity, Microbial population
Academic Editor : Dr Y. Ramakrishna
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : None declared

To study the effect of potassium humate and Bio-inoculants on soil fertility, Enzymatic activity and microbial population in soil of cowpea, a pot experiment was laid out during kharif, 2014 on loamy sand soil, at S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner according to completely randomized block design with three replications. The treatments consisting of three levels of potassium humate (control, 5 and 10 mg kg-1) and five bio-inoculants (no inoculation, Rhizobium + VAM, Rhizobium + PSB, VAM+PSB and Rhizobium + VAM + PSB) were applied. The application of potassium humate @ 10 mg kg-1 and seed inoculation with Rhizobium+VAM, Rhizobium+ PSB, VAM+PSB and Rhizobium+VAM+ PSB significantly increased the organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, microbial population (bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes), enzymatic activities (alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase activity) in soil at harvest stage of the crop than control, while, pH and EC of soil decreased non significantly at harvest.