Fertilizer recommendation for puddling garlic cultivation: An approach to optimize fertilizer use and enhance sustainable yield and income

Abstract

The experiment was implemented in the farmers’ field of Shibpur, Puthia, Rajshahi during three consecutive years at rabi season (October-March) of 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 to find out a suitable combination of different fertilizers for puddling garlic production. The experiment was laid out with six dispersed replications and four fertilizer doses viz. T₁ = Soil test based (STB) fertilizer dose for high yield goal, T₂ = 20% higher NPK than STB, T₃ = 40% higher NPK than STB supplemented with 5 t ha⁻¹ cowdung and T₄ = Farmers dose. Three tones per hectare of rice straw was used as mulch with all the fertilize doses. Garlic variety BARI Rasun – 2 was used as test crop. Among the treatments, the highest average yield was obtained from T₃ = 40 % higher NPK than STB (9.57 t ha⁻¹) which was similar to T₄ = Farmers practice (9.52 t ha⁻¹). Nutrient addition was very much unbalanced in T₄. Maximum gross return (574200 Tk ha⁻¹), net return (328465Tk ha⁻¹) and BCR (2.34) were found in T₃ treatment. The treatment T₃ produced the lowest breakeven price (25.68 Tk kg⁻¹) and the highest sustainability index (85.5%). Considering all these facts, the treatment T₃ (40% higher NPK than STB = 220-18-84-34-2.5-3 kg ha⁻¹ NPKSZnB, respectively) may be recommended for puddling garlic cultivation in High Ganges River Floodplain Agro-ecological zone (AEZ-11) in Bangladesh.