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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Combined application of mineral fertilisers and farmyard manure improve the growth, yield and nutrient content of black gram and garden pea in mid hills of North-Western Himalayan region

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.10159
Submitted
20 June 2025
Published
05-05-2026

Abstract

This research investigates the effects of integrated nutrient management (INM) on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of two important legume crops black gram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) and garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) under mid-hill conditions. A field experiment was conducted using a randomized block design (RBD) with eight different treatments involving combinations of chemical fertilisers (NPK), organic inputs (FYM) and bio-enhancers. The observed increase in plant height was 30.8 % and 18.5 %, respectively while pod length improved by 5.8 % and 17.2 %, respectively when compared to the control treatment in black gram and garden pea. The number of pods per plant and grains per pod increased by 45.0 % and 33.3 % in black gram and 42.8 % and 29.3 % in garden pea, respectively. Grain yield of black gram and green pod yield of garden pea under Soil test-based NPK + FYM (T5) increased by 71.0 % and 58.8 %, respectively, over control. Similarly, nutrient content was also higher with the application of NPK and farmyard manure treatment (T5) over control. This highlights the superior efficacy of integrated nutrient systems over chemical-only or organic-only approaches. The findings suggest that integrating organic amendments like FYM with mineral fertilisers enhances crop productivity and contributes to sustainable soil fertility management. These results are especially relevant for farmers in hill regions, offering a practical and eco-friendly solution for enhancing legume production while maintaining long-term soil health.

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