Fertilizers and manures for Garlic
Continuous cropping without the addition of plant nutrients depletes native sources in soil and affects crop yield. Hence it is essential to add plant nutrients through external sources for sustainable garlic production. Organic manures add plant nutrients and improve soil organic carbon, soil physical environment and soil microbial activity.
Based on the field experiments carried out through All India Network Research Project on Onion and Garlic at different locations, application of 75:40:40:40 kg NPKS/ha along with a combination of two or three organic manures (FYM, Poultry manure and Vermicompost) equivalent to 75 kg N/ha (7.5 t Poultry manure or 7.5 t vermicompost or 15 t FYM/ha) is recommended for Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu (Ooty). Application of 100:50:50:50 kg NPKS + 20t FYM/ha is recommended for Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Recommended organic manures should be applied before last ploughing and mixed well in the soil. One-third of nitrogen and full recommended dose of phosphorus, potassium and sulphur should be applied as basal at the time of planting. Remaining two third of nitrogen should be applied in two equal splits at 30 and 45 days after planting. Besides the major nutrients, micro nutrient mixture (Fe: 0.5%, Zn: 0.5%, B: 0.25%, Cu: 0.25% and Mn:0.5 %) should be applied through foliar application at 30, 45 and 60 days after planting. Application of micronutrients increases the bulb yield by 5-7%.
Biofertilizers
Biofertilizers are efficient strains of microorganisms that improve plant nutrient uptake.When applied to seed or soil, the microbes colonize the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promote growth by increasing the availability of primary nutrients to the host plant by biological nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth-promoting substances. Based on the experiments carried out at DOGR, bio fertilizers Azospirillum and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria @ 5 kg/ha each are recommended for garlic. Recommended biofertilizers should be mixed with 100-200 kg FYM having 50% moisture and stored overnight. The mixture should be applied before planting.
Source-
- Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research
