Soil-Plant-Fertilizer Relationships in Turmeric Assessment of Soil-Plant-Fertilizer-Nutrient Relationships for Sustainable Productivity of Turmeric under Alfisols and Inceptisols in Southern India

Field experiments were conducted during 2005–2007 to test effects of nineteen treatments on turmeric rhizome yield in Alfisol at Utukur and Inceptisol at Jagtial in India. The treatments were comprised of nitrogen (N) at 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha ⁻¹; phosphorus (P) at 0, 40, 80, and 120 kg ha ⁻¹; and potassium (K) at 0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha ⁻¹. Application of 180-120-100 kg ha ⁻¹ NPK gave maximum yield of 4302 kg ha ⁻¹ in Alfisols, whereas application of 120-80-100 kg ha ⁻¹ gave 4817 kg ha ⁻¹ in Inceptisols. Regression and principal component (PC) models were calibrated through soil-plant-fertilizer variables. The regression model gave significant R ² of 0.75 in Alfisols compared to 0.88 in Inceptisols, whereas the PC model explained variance of 66.5 percent in Alfisols and 76.3 percent in Inceptisols. Regression model through PC scores gave R ² of 0.54 in Alfisols and 0.47 in Inceptisols. Maximum sustainability yield indexes of 58.8 and 55.5 percent by 180-120-120 kg ha ⁻¹ (Alfisol) and 67.1 and 60.6 percent by 120-80-100 kg ha ⁻¹ (Inceptisol) were attained based on regression and PC models respectively.