Influence of Shasyagavya on Growth, Yield and Quality Attributes of Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.)
Sourav Mohanta
The experiment has been conducted during October-2014 to April-2015 at the faculty centre of Integrated Rural & Tribal Development and Management, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Morabadi, Ranchi-834008 to study the ‘Influence of Shasyagavya on Growth, Yield and Quality Attributes of Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.)’. Seven treatments viz. T1: 5% Shasyagavya; T2: 10% Shasyagavya; T3: 15% Shasyagavya; T4: 20% Shasyagavya; T5: 25% Shasyagavya; T6: 30% Shasyagavya and T7: Control (without Shasyagavya) were assigned for the study over the cabbage cv. Rare Ball (F1 hybrid). From the experiment, it was revealed T4 (20% Shasyagavya) as the best treatment among all treatments in most of the cases for growth, yield and quality attributing characters. Although the treatment T4 detected as the best in terms of yield but other treatments like T3 and T6 performed better for several quality parameters as well. In this context, T3 recorded higher ascorbic acid (240.00 mg.100g-1) and T6 emerged with higher protein (3.92%) content over the other treatments. It was also documented that the application of organic inputs as different treatments helps to improve the soil health by enhancing beneficial microbial population, NPK, organic carbon content as well as maintaining the pH status of the experimental soil towards the neutral range with the intervention of Shasyagavya that leads to enhance the growth parameters of plant, culminating with higher yield in T4 treatment. Beside these, soil beneficial microbes were also documented higher in T4 treatment that stimulates the mineralization process of soil applied manure and thereby, nutrients become available for plants of T4 treatment specifically which is the utmost cause behind the highest yield (91.85t.ha-1) in this treatment. As a consequence, higher benefit: cost ratio (6.40) was also documented in the case of T4 treatment. From the findings of the present investigation, it may be concluded that organic package of practices along with the incorporation of Shasyagavya (20%) is well suited for growing cabbage commercially even under the plateau regions of Jharkhand.
Keywords: Cabbage; (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L); organic farming; growth characters; yield parameters; quality attributes; microbial population; soil quality.