EFFICACY OF ORGANIC INPUTS ON SOIL HEALTH OF CASHEW (Anacardium occidentale L.) PLANTATION

AMRITA MOHAPATRA¹*, D.K. DASH², K.K. ROUT³, P. TRIPATHY^4
1Department of Fruit Science and Horticulture Technology, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751 003, India
²Department of Fruit Science and Horticulture Technology, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751 003, India
³Department of Soil Science & Agriculture Chemistry, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751 003, India
⁴Department of Vegetable Science, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751 003, India
* Corresponding Author : amritaouat@gmail.com

Received : 01-11-2016     Accepted : 18-12-2016     Published : 28-12-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 63       Pages : 3552 - 3554
Int J Agr Sci 8.63 (2016):3552-3554

Keywords : Cashew, Soil health, Bio-fertilizers, FYM, Organic inputs, Vermicompost
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : We greatly acknowledge the Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, Odisha, India for the research facilities provided to the Director, Directorate of Cashew Research (ICAR), Puttur, Karnataka, India for providing the financial and other facilities to carry out the study under AICRP on Cashew
Author Contribution : None declared

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) being emerged as one of the most important dollar earning plantation crops having very significant role to play in Indian economy, hence there is need for producing organic cashew for export purpose. In order to address the challenge, the present investigation of use of organic inputs in cashew was carried out at All India Coordinated Research Project on Cashew (ICAR) of OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Eight treatments of different organic inputs including recommended dose of fertilizers and FYM as control were used by adopting RBD, replicated thrice having four plants per treatments in recommended cashew variety, BPP-8. The results recorded during 2013-14 and 2014-15 revealed significant variations among different treatments for various soil physicochemical and biological parameters of organic cashew plantation. The soil which received combined application of 25 per cent N as FYM + recycling of organic residue + in situ green manuring + Biofertilizers, remained more porous & the inorganic treatment recorded lowest biological activity measured in terms of microbial respiration and dehydrogenase activity. Among the sole application of organic inputs, application of 100% nitrogen either through vermicompost+ Biofertilizers@ 200g, or through FYM + Biofertilizer @ 200g or25% N each as FYM + Recycling of organic residue + In situ green manuring/green leaf manuring + Biofertilizer @ 200g were proved to be significantly better for various soil health, indicating the scope of organic cashew cultivation for improvement of soil quality for production . The present study revealed a scope for further elaborate study in these aspects in future.