Economics and Yield of Transplanted Summer Rice (Oryza sativa L.) as Influenced by Integrated Nutrient Management Practices in Gangetic Alluvial Soils of West Bengal, India
A field experiment was carried out during the boro seasons of 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 at the Agricultural Experimental Farm of the University of Calcutta, located at Baruipur, West Bengal, India, to study the economics of different integrated nutrient management practices in the Chandra rice variety (MTU-1153). The soil was moderately fertile, with a pH of around 6.0 and a clayey loam texture. The experiment consisted of ten treatments arranged in a randomised block design (RBD) with three replications, viz., 50% of the recommended dose of fertiliser (RDF) N-P2O5-K2O + farmyard manure (FYM) @ 5 t ha-1, 75% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + FYM @ 5 t ha-1, 50% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + FYM @ 7 t ha-1, 75% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + FYM @ 7 t ha-1, 50% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + Vermicompost @ 2 t ha-1, 75% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + Vermicompost @ 2 t ha-1, 50% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + Vermicompost @ 3 t ha-1, 75% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + Vermicompost @ 3 t ha-1, 100% RDF N-P2O5-K2O and Control. The highest grain and straw yields were recorded with the treatment 75% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + Vermicompost @ 3 t ha-1, at (60.40 and 60.97) q ha-1 and (76.20 and 76.70) q ha-1, respectively. The results revealed that the highest gross return was obtained with the application of 75% RDF N-P2O5-K2O + Vermicompost @ 3 t ha-1, at Rs. (146990.00 and 157021.00) ha-1, whereas the highest net profit was recorded with the treatment (100% RDF N-P2O5-K2O), at Rs. (69256.00 and 72234.00) ha-1 during both years and in the pooled analysis. The same treatment, i.e., (100% RDF N-P2O5-K2O), recorded the highest benefit-cost (B:C) ratio (2.02) compared with the other treated plots.