Integrated nutrient management on aquatic food crops for its yield stability, economics and quality of produce in Indian sub-continent

摘要

In wetland ecosystems, the proper management of nitrogen and other essential plant nutrition is imperative for the production of aquatic food, non-food and numerous beneficial medicinal plants, and for maintaining soil and water quality. Integrated nutrient management (INM) can be used to efficiently manage aquatic ecosystems. A case study was undertaken on aquatic food crops (starch and protein-rich, which are most popular and remunerative) in farmers' field of low-lying Tal area in the New AlluvialZone of Indian subtropics (23° 5' N latitude and 89° E longitude and elevated at 8.50 MSL). The study was designed as a split-plot, where, 3 important aquatic food crops [water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa Roxb.), makhana (Euryale ferox Salisb.) and water lily (Nymphaea spp.)] as major factors and 5 combinations of organic and inorganic nutrientsources as sub-factor. Altogether there were 8 combinations considered in the experiment. The results show that the production of fresh kernels or nuts of waterchestnut (8.571 ha~(-1)), matured nut yield of makhana (3.06 t ha~(-1)) and flower stalks of water-lily as vegetables (6.38 t ha~(-1)) along with then: nutritional quality (starch, protein, sugar and minerals) were remarkably influenced by the application of both organic (neem oilcake? 0.2 t ha~(-1)) and inorganic nutrient sources (NPK? 20:30:20 kg ha~(-1) along with spraying of N? 0.5% thrice at 20, 40 and 60 DAT) compared to the other INM combinations or sole applications to the crops. Besides production, INM also greatly influenced the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil (i.e., pH, org. C, available total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). In conclusion, it is imperative to utilize this vast unused wetland ecosystem for production of beneficial aquatic crops that can contribute to food production, livelihood and economic stability in this rural economy.