Effect of Sulphur and Boron Levels on Soil Available Nutrients after Harvesting of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Red Soil of Mirzapur

Abstract

To study the effect of sulphur and boron on post-harvest soil fertility status, a pot experiment was conducted at Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during the kharif season of 2017 taking sesame as a test crop in red soil of Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur and boron contents were recorded significantly higher in soil after harvesting of the crop over control. The nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, sulphur and boron content recorded 131.58 kg ha-1, 9.25 kg ha-1, 228.48 kg ha-1, 32.79 kg ha-1 and 5.58 mg kg-1, respectively when soil treated with 50 kg S ha-1 and 2 kg B ha-1 after harvest of the crop. Correlation study of the data shows the a significant and positive interaction between soil properties. Available sulphur was positively correlated with available phosphorus (r = 0.875*) while as organic carbon was also significant and positively correlated with available nitrogen (r = 0.935*), phosphorus (r = 0.891*) and potash (r = 0.882*). Multiple regression equation revealed that more than 90% variation in available S was attributed by physicochemical properties of the soil.