EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOIL MIXTURES ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF MUSTARD (VEGETABLES) FOR ROOFTOP GARDENING

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted at the Research Field, Department of Soil Science, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, December 2023 to January 2024 during the Rabi season for assessing the effectiveness of various organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth and vegetative yield of Mustard. The experiment was put up in Completely Randomized Design (CRD), with seven treatments and three replications T1 = (Control (only soil), T2 = 70% soil + 20% VC + 5% sand + 5% ash + 2.0 g kg-1 bone meal powder, T3 = 65% soil + 25% VC + 5% sand + 5% ash + 1.5 g kg-1 bone meal powder, T4 = 70% soil + 20% VC + 5% sand + 5% ash + 1.5 g kg-1 bone meal powder, T5 = 60% soil + 20% VC + 15% sand + 5% ash + 2.0 g kg-1 bone meal powder, T6 = 60% soil + 25% VC + 10% sand + 5% ash + 1.0 g kg-1 bone meal powder, T7 = 60% soil + 25% VC + 5% sand + 10% ash + 1.0 g kg-1 bone meal powder .The treatments were as follows The experimental soil belongs to the Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain (AEZ-1). The soil was sandy loam in texture having pH 6.6, organic matter content 0.56%, total N 0.08%, available P 4.90 ppm, exchangeable K 0.06 m.e.q 100 g-1 soil and available S 5.52 ppm. The application of organic and inorganic fertilizers had a significant effect on the growth and vegetative yield of Mustard. The highest plant height of 24.67,32.17 and 43.00 cm at 15, 30 and 45 DAS respecting in T7 respectively, number of leaves 7.00,16.67 and 20.33 at 15, 30 and 45 DAS at T2,T4,T7 fresh shoot weight of 3 selected plant 10.667 gm at T7,and the longest root length 6.76 cm were observed in T7 treatment. The lowest values of all the parameters were noticed in the control treatment (T1). Application of organic and inorganic fertilizers resulted in a considerable influence on the properties of the post-harvest soils such as the highest total N (0.25%), available S (9.04 ppm) and soil organic matter content (0.80 %) and EC (0.18 mSm 1 ) in T7 treatment. It was evident that the proper use of organic fertilizers in conjunction with chemical fertilizers may significantly boost soil fertility and vegetative development of Mustard. The study findings revealed that treatment with T7 outperformed most of all other treatments. This study indicate that treating soil with 60% soil,25% VC,5% sand,10% ash and 1.0 g kg-1 bone meal powder as a composite appears to be a promising practice for cost effective mustard cultivation in urban rooftop settings.