Succeeding Legume Crop Response to Residues from Cereal–Vegetable Sequences under Different Land Configuration and Nutrient Management Practices

Abstract

The field experiment was carried out during Kharif, Rabi and Summer seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24 at Instructional Farm, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Dapoli. Dist. Ratnagiri (M.S.). The field experiments were laid out in a strip plot design comprising of twelve treatment combinations replicated thrice. The vertical strips consist of four land configurations with or without mulch treatment viz., M1: Raised bed with mulch, M2: Raised bed without mulch, M3: Flatbed with mulch and M4: Flatbed without mulch and horizontal strips comprising three fertilizer management practices viz., F1: RDF through straight fertilizer, F2: Konkan Annapurna Briquettes (KAB) + Remaining N, P2O5 and K2O through fertigation and F3: RDF through fertigation. Results indicated that the treatment flat bed with mulch increased grain and stover yield and it was statistically at par with the flat bed without mulch. An economic feasibility analysis revealed that the flat bed without mulch produced the highest net returns and benefit cost (B:C) ratio, followed closely by the flat bed with mulch. Additionally, the study examined the effects of various fertilizer management practices previously applied to rice and okra during the Kharif and Rabi seasons, with a common recommended dose of fertilizer used for green gram (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek). The residual impact of the treatment involving Konkan Annapurna Briquettes combined with additional N, P2O5 and K2O through fertigation resulted in the highest grain and stover yields (kg/ha), as well as the maximum net returns and B:C ratio. This treatment performed on par with the RDF through fertigation during both study years and in the pooled data. In terms of soil nutrient availability, the highest levels of N, P2O5 and K2O were recorded under the raised bed with mulch, followed by the flat bed with mulch. Furthermore, the application of Konkan Annapurna Briquettes plus N, P2O5 and K2O through fertigation significantly enhanced soil nutrient levels, followed by the treatment RDF through fertigation.