Standardization of Organically Chickpea Cultivation in Red and Lateritic Soils Through Sole and Combined Uses of Bulky Organic Manures

Under the growing concern about impacts of harmful chemicals on agriculture and climate change, organic nutrient management (ONM) is holding good prospects for soil health and crop performance. Although, sole or as a part of integrated nutrient management, organic manures have been assessed, researchers have very less explored the impacts of integration of organic manures on soil health and crop performance. It was hypothesized that organic manures’ combination elevates performance of chickpea. The best ONM for chickpea in eastern Indian plateau was identified through the present investigation. A two-year field experiment was executed in three-times repeated randomized block design using Farm Yard Manure (FYM), Vermicompost (VC) and Poultry Manure (PM) as bulky organic manures (as sole and in 12 combinations) along with one unfertilized control in Divyayan Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ranchi, India during winter season of 2022–23 and 2023–24. Organic manure application outperformed control in terms of nutrient cycling and crop parameters. Combined organic manure uses performed better than the sole application. Among various organic nutrient management practices, application of 75% P 2 O 5 through PM + 25% P 2 O 5 through VC emerged as the most promising practice in improving soil microbial population dynamics, nutrient cycling, nutrient supply for longer period leading to best growth, yield and quality attributes of chickpea. Additionally, this treatment ensured the highest net return and net energy gain, demonstrating the viability of both the economy and energy. Application of 75% P 2 O 5 through PM + 25% P 2 O 5 through VC may be useful for realizing sustainable soil health improvement and crop performance of chickpea in eastern Indian plateau. Graphical Abstract