Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Production and Productivity of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) cv. Yamuna Safed
Ankit Raj
Department of Horticulture, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Anupam Singh *
Department of Horticulture, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Poluru Naveen
Department of Horticulture, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Mohni Parmar
Department of Horticulture, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Gourav Gupta
Department of Horticulture, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To evaluate the influence of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), combining inorganic fertilisers, farmyard manure (FYM), and biofertilisers (Azotobacter and phosphate-solubilising bacteria [PSB]), on the growth, yield attributes, bulb yield, and economic performance of garlic (Allium sativum L.) cv. Yamuna Safed, and to identify the most agronomically and economically viable nutrient combination for the Central Plateau and Hills Region of Satna, Madhya Pradesh.
Study Design: The field experiment was laid out in a randomised block design (RBD) with ten treatments (T0–T9), each replicated three times.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Horticulture Research Farm, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, during the Rabi season of 2025–26.
Methodology: Cloves of cv. Yamuna Safed were planted on 04 November 2025 in plots measuring 2 m × 1 m. Treatments comprised a control, sole inorganic fertilisation (100% RDF), and graded combinations of reduced-dose RDF with FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹, Azotobacter @ 2 kg ha⁻¹, and PSB @ 2 kg ha⁻¹. The RDF was 100:50:50 kg N:P:K ha⁻¹, row-to-row and plant-to-plant spacing was 15 cm × 10 cm, and the soil was light black. Growth parameters (plant height, leaves per plant, leaf length/width, and leaf area), yield attributes, bulb yield, and economic indices (cost of cultivation, gross and net returns, and benefit–cost ratio) were recorded and analysed statistically.
Results: Integrated application of nutrient sources significantly improved all growth, yield, and economic parameters compared with sole inorganic fertilisation. Treatment T8 (75% RDF + Azotobacter @ 2 kg ha⁻¹ + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + PSB @ 2 kg ha⁻¹) recorded the highest plant height (64.23 cm), number of leaves per plant (7.34), leaf area (48.84 cm²), bulb yield (152.32 q ha⁻¹), gross return (₹5,33,120 ha⁻¹), net return (₹4,27,120 ha⁻¹), and benefit–cost ratio (5.03).
Conclusion: Among the treatments evaluated, integrating 75% RDF with Azotobacter @ 2 kg ha⁻¹, FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹, and PSB @ 2 kg ha⁻¹ was agronomically superior and economically the most viable nutrient-management strategy for garlic under conditions similar to those of the present study.
Keywords: Integrated nutrient management, garlic, Yamuna Safed, farmyard manure, Azotobacter, phosphate-solubilising bacteria, biofertilisers, bulb yield