Effect of macro-micro nutrients and liming on winter season kusmi lac yield on Flemingia semialata

Abstract

For evaluating the effect of liming and application of different macro/ micro nutrients on lac yield of F. semialata plants, an experiment was conducted in the Institute Research Farm, Namkum (23o23’N longitude, 85o23’ E latitude and 650 m above MSL) during 2011-12 to 2013-14 in a five year old plantation. The experiment consisted 12 treatments/ combinations. These included recommended doses of Zinc, Copper, Boron, Molybdenum; liming @ 125 g/m2, two doses of potassium (30 & 60 g/plant), two doses of nitrogen (25 & 50 g/plant), combination of N-P-K (50, 25 & 50 g/ plant) and two control treatments (lac inoculated and lac uninoculated) replicated thrice in Randomized Block Design. Treatments like liming, two doses of potassium (30 and 60 g/ plant) and nitrogen application @ 25 g/ plant produced very low yield ration but high sticklac productivity. While all micro nutrient applied treatments and control produced relatively higher yield ratio but significantly lower sticklac production. Higher rate of nitrogen application and NPK combination are the inferior most treatments as they produced both yield ratio and sticklac yield in lower side. Higher sticklac yield on treatments like lime, potassium application etc signified that encrustation was quite dense and thick with those treatments. This finding inferred that these treatments are congenial for satisfactory lac production. Liming and potassium application @ 30 g/ plant registered a significant increase of 41 and 48 percent increases in sticklac production over control. Spraying boron and molybdenum proved to be much better than spray of zinc and copper. However, output from control plants were in between and remained at par to both the groups.