Formulation of a Liquid Fertilizer and a Comparative Study on Its Effect on the Growth and Yield of Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek

Green gram [Vigna radiata, (L.) Wilczek] is the third most important pulse in India. It is the protein rich staple food and it supplies the protein requirement of vegetarians of our country. To improve the productivity and yield of green gram crop a study was made to assess the different treatments on its growth and yield. Four different treatments were given namely a) LF-1(Liquid fertilizer formulated in our lab - 2 per cent humic acid extracted from vermicompost + 1 per cent anolyte water), b) LF-2 (Liquid fertilizer commercially purchased), c) 1 per cent anolyte water and d) vermicompost. Effect of the different treatments on physico-chemical parameters of the soil, germination rate, shoot length, ischolar_main length, yield ratio, weight of 100 seeds and the biochemical contents of green gram crop were studied. The application of LF-1 (2 per cent humic acid in anolyte water) increased the macronutrient (N, P and K) and micronutrient (Cu, Fe and Zn) content of the soil, enzyme activity (urease, phosphatase and dehydrogenase) of the soil, growth, yield, 100 seeds weight, protein and vitamin C content of green gram crop. The micronutrient content (manganese) was maximum in the plants subjected to vermicompost and carbohydrate content was maximum in the plants treated with LF-2 (Liquid fertilizer commercially purchased).