Role of vermicompost for sustainable Flue Cured Virginia tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) production in Karnataka Light Soils.

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted for three consecutive seasons (2005-06 to 2007-08) to study the influence of graded doses of vermicompost (2,4, & 6 ton/ha) on the crop growth performance , yield parameters, cured leaf quality and root knot incidence in Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco grown in the light soils of Southern Transition Zone of Karnataka (AESR No.7). The Experiment was conducted with five treatments and four replications in a randomized Block Design on red sandy loam soils, low in organic carbon, medium to high in available phosphorus and potassium status. Application of vermicompost @ 4-6 t/ha significantly influenced all the crop growth parameters like plant height, number of leaves produced and leaf expansion at 60 days after planting. Application of vermicopmost @ 2,4 and 6 t/ha increased the cured leaf production by 8.4, 13.3 and 13.0 % and top grade Equivalent by 9.5, 15.5 and 14.5% respectively over recommenced NPK alone. Among all the treatments, vermicompost @ 4 t/ha along with recommended NPK recorded the maximum cured leaf yield and significantly higher top grade Equivalent yield compared to the recommended FYM application (8 t/ha) + NPK schedule . The root – knot incidence (RKI) was also significantly decreased by the application of vermicompost @ 4-6 t/ha. The study revealed that application of vermicompost @ 4 t/ha along with the recommended NPK (60:40:120 kg/ha) was found to be ideal for maximizing the productivity and quality of FCV tobacco in Karnataka Light Soils region.