Effect of Seed Coating with Biogas Slurry, Inorganic Nutrients and Rhizobium on Growth and Yield of Rice Fallow Mungbean (Vigna radiata. (L) Wilczek)

R. Raman” and G. Kuppuswamy

Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India
*e-mail: ramanr_ag@rediffmail.com

Abstract

Pulses as an important source of protein help to meet perhaps the most important nutritional need of the people in the developing countries. This group of crops also enrich the soil by their unique characteristic of nitrogen fixation The importance of this group of crops has further increased in recent years due to global shortage of chemical fertilizers.
Pre- sowing technique such as seed coating with organic, inorganic nutrients and biofertilizers holds considerable promise in improving the early crop stand, there by increasing the production level. Seed coating provides an inbuilt mechanism for seed encapsulation of certain organic, inorganic nutrients and biofertilizer inoculums which by virtue of their immediate availability in the vicinity of seed may help to sustain the nourishing requirement of emerging seedlings.

Field experiment was conducted at Experimental Farm, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India to study the effect of seed coating with biogas slurry, inorganic nutrients and Rhizobium on rice fallow mungbean (Vigna radiata (L) Wikzek). The experiments consist of nine seed coating treatments. The treatments were replicated thrice adopting Randomized Block Design. Seeds were dibbled at soft waxy stage immediately after harvest of preceding rice crop. A uniform spacing of 30X10CM was adopted for all the treatments. Among the treatments, seed coating with biogas slurry 50%, Rhizobium 2% superphosphate 2%, zinc sulphate 1% and cobalt nitrate 0.5% markedly increased all the growth and yield components resulting in maximum grain and haulm yield. Based on the field experiment, it may be concluded that seed coating technique holds promise as a viable low cost pre sowing technique for improving the crop stand and ultimately yields of rice fallow mungbean.