Performance of Soybean-Sunflower Cropping System under Varied Nutrient Management Practices in Vertisols

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted for consecutive three years (2009-10 to 2011-12) with soybean (JS-335) during kharif and sunflower (KBSH-1 hybrid) during rabi on fixed plots in Vertisols under semi-arid conditions at Hyderabad. The pooled analysis of results indicated fertilization with recommended dose (20:80:20 kg N:P2O5:K2O/ha) to rainy season soybean and balanced fertilization of recommended NPK+ 20 kg sulphur to succeeding winter sunflower recorded highest soybean seed yield (2260 kg/ha). 100-seed weight and oil concentration of soybean did not differ significantly. Performance and seed yield of winter sunflower varied significantly due to different nutrient management practices. Application of recommended dose to soybean (20:80:20) and sunflower (60:60:30) through single super phosphate as source of P resulted in the highest seed yield (1,763 kg/ha) of sunflower. This was followed by and at par with application of recommended dose (20:80:20) to soybean and balanced fertilization of NPK+ 20 kg sulphur to succeeding sunflower (1,761 kg/ha). Similar trend was noticed in soybean equivalent seed yield. No fertilization to either crops or imbalanced fertilization with only N or reduced fertilization by 50 per cent resulted in significantly lower yield. Similar trend was followed in stalk yield and 1000-seed weight of sunflower. The oil concentration did not vary significantly due to different nutrient management for both the crops.