Foliar nutrient management through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kappaphycus</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Gracilaria</i> saps in rice-potato-green gram crop sequence

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during 2010-11 and 2011-12 on sandy loam soil at Uttar Chandamari village of Nadia district of West Bengal (22° 57' N latitude, 88° 20' E longitude) to study the effects of seaweed saps on crop growth and yield vis-à-vis nutrient uptake by the crops under rice-potato-greengram sequence. The foliar application of seaweed extracts (namely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kappaphycus </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Gracilaria</i>) at different concentrations (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 15.0% v/v) significantly enhanced the growth, yield and nutrient uptake by the crops in sequence. The application of 15% <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kappaphycus</i> sap along with recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) recorded the highest productivity in terms of rice equivalent yield (REY) with net monetary returns of Rs. 175608.60 ha^-1 yr^-1 and benefit: cost ratio of 2.06.