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Technical bulletin No 49
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
C Palaniswami George V Thomas R Dhanapal P Subramanian
H P Maheswarappa and A K Upadhyay
yen CENTRAL PLANTATION CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE yen (Indian Council ofAgricultural Research) ~ ICAII KASARAGOD _ 671 124 KERALA INDIA shy
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System Technical Bulletin No 49 CPCRI Kasaragod Kerala India 24 p
Published by 1 Dr George V Thomas Director 2
Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (Indian Council ofAgricultural Research)
KASARAGOD - 671124 KERALA INDIA Phone 04994 - 232893232894232895 amp 232996 Fax 04994-232322 Email cpcrinicindirectorcpcrigmailcom Grams RESEARCH Kasaragod Website httpwwwcpcrigovin
Compiled amp Edited blf Dr C Palaniswami Dr George V Thomas Dr R Dhanapal Dr P Subramanian Dr HP Maheswarappa Dr AK Upadhyay
December 2007
Pllotogmplts
Shri K Shymaprasad
Printed nl
Niseema Printers amp Publishers Kochi - 18
CON TENT
1 Introduction 1
2 Coconut based cropping system 4
a) Component crops
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilis r do e
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
iii) Irrigation
3 Effect of INM on crop production 8
a) Effect on yield
b) Effect on foliar nu trient levels
c) Effect on soil nutrient status
d) Effect on microbial parameters
e) Rainfall partitioning
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
g) Root di tribu tion
4 Yield relationship function of coconut 22
5 Economics and employment generation 22
6 Conclusion 23
CPCRI
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut based Cropping System
1 Introduction
Coconut (COCOS nucifera L) widely known as Kalpavriksha is an important perennial
oil yielding crop of humid tropics It is grown widely in the countries lying in the Indian
Ocean and the Pacific Rim India is the largest producer of the coconut and also has the
largest acreage under the crop Philippines Indonesia Ivory Coast Malaysia Thailand
Oceania Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka are the other leading coconut growing countries
In India more than 90 of the coconut acreage and production lies in the four southern
states namely Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
In general coconut like any other plantation crops is grown on variety of soils namely
lateritic and laterite littoral coastal sand red sandy loams alluviums coral peaty and
black soils The ideal coconut growing soils are well drained and aerated with a minimum
depth of 80 to 100 cm pH range between 5 to near neutral adequate nutrient availability
and water holding capacity The major coconut growing soils are laterite lateritic coastal
sand and alluvial Except for alluvials all the other soils have low native fertiHty and
poor physical properties Some of the characteristics of coconut growing soils are shown
in Table 1 The major area of the coconut being in South India suffers from prolonged
spell of dry spell and high rainfall leading mainly to leaching losses of silica and bases
from parent material with concurrent accumulation of oxides of Fe and AI This leads
to the formation of laterites a dominant soil group under plantation crops As shown
in table 1 and various studies have long established that the soils are acidic in reaction
with poor native fertility low CEC a characteristic of Kaolinite as dominant clay minerals
and have high presence of sesquioxides
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Table 1 General physico-chemical properties of coconut growing soils
SoH group Mechmical COIIIpOttioa () pW Org C() CEC Clay snt Sand (C moIIkg)
Laterite 168 105 644 572 055 51 (9 2-392) (2 2-20) (492-868) (40-68) (006-18) (10-144)
Alluvial 179 69 751 579 069 44 (92-316) (1 0-180) (504-892) (42-71) (003-181) (07-113)
Reclaimed marshy 150 39 787 476 068 41 (90-264) (00-136) (640-910) (37-65) (023-291) (06-243)
Coastal sandy 68 08 924 667 013 05 (36-108) (007-78) (872-954) (52-83) (000-046) (04-54)
Sandy loam 170 38 794 581 031 37 (88-302) (106-140) (69 4-902) (48-86) (006-144) (10-117)
125 soil lIlater Ffures ill parmfheses dmole ranges Source Pillai (]975)
Coconut has unique feature among the plantation crops in that it flowers and fruits
throughout the year Therefore its requirement of water and nutrients should be supplied
throughout the year Nutrient exhaust from one hectare of coconut ranged from 92 to
149 kg N 12 to 20 kg P and 119 to 183 kg K This clearly indicates that K and N are
required in higher quantities for coconut production
Integrated nutrient management includes the intelligent use of organic inorganic and
online biological resources (BNF) so as to sustain optimum yields improve or maintain
soils chemical and physical properties and provide crop nutrition packages which are
technically sound economically attractive practically feasible and environmentally safe
(Tandon 1990) INM optimizes all aspects of nutrient cycling - supply uptake and
loss to the environment - to improve food production This bulletin describes
interventions that may be applied to a range of agroecological zones cropping systems
and soil types The interventions address a few key aspects of nutrient management
including improving organic matter in the soil increasing plant-available nutrients and
supplying both organic and chemical fertilizers These interventions have the potential
to increase and sustain production levels increase the economic potential of a production
system and counteract and minimize environmental pollution
Growing of inter mixed crops in coconut garden will not only increase the utilisation
of unexploited natural resources but will also have a beneficial effect on the farm
2
econorr
croppir
thedivlaquo
suitedf
This al~
favour
Nub
will im
differer
to consi
that in i
to thee
way of
It ha
monoa
viz lim
for croF
conside
adoptin
etc in t
be put
ld fruits
upplied
)m 92 to
ld N are
anicand
naintain
hich are
ally safe
ake and
escribes
systems
Igement
mts and
Jotential
gtduction
tilisation
the farm
CPCRI
economics High density multispecies cropping system (HDMSCS) is one of the mixed
cropping systems where a number of compatible crops are grown in a unit area to meet
the diverse needs of the farmers such as food fuel timber fodder and cash and are ideally
suited for smaller units of land and at maximum production both temporally and spatially
This also leads to control of weeds soil and water conseTVation better microclimate and
favourable microbial activity in the soil
Nutrient management in coconut based HDMSCS would be a complex task as this
will involve the interplay of various factors viz nutrient recycling fertilizer additions
differential crop responses nutrient uptake and soil environment Thus there is a need
to consider the system as a unit It has been rightly summarjsed by Oelsligle et Ill (1976)
that in intensive cropping system with tree crops the application of fertilizers according
to the estimated requirement for each crop is certainly not the most efficient and economic
way of utilizing the native and applied nutrients
It has been well established in several coconut growing countries that coconut as a
monocrop is only marginally productive and profitable The interplay of various factors
viz limited size of holdings number of trees needs of the family labour requirement
for crop fluctuating returns to farm families and easiness of marketing are some of the
considerations for the grower to diversify his farm operations for higher returns by
adopting intercropping mixed cropping or introducing other enterprises like dairy poultry
etc in the system Moreover under coconut based cropping system the same land can
be put to use to produce other crops so that the productivity of the land is increased
This wisdom has led the farmers to evolve through their innovative efforts very successful
models which have come to stay in different countries From a recent survey report
it is noted that a farmer had raised 60 species of crops viz trees and ornamental plants
in 04 hectare of homestead gardens in the p remier coconut growing state of Kerala
Nevertheless the traditional method of distribution of crops in a coconut garden is not
scientific to utilize natural resources efficiently
Nutrient management in cropping farming system is difficult as it involves interplay
of various factors like crop requirements differential crop responses crop residue additions
3
I
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
management practices suiting crop needs water requirement and soil environment It
is therefore imperative that whole system must be considered as one unit Experience
in coconut based cropping system suggests that it is necessary to fertilize coconut and
component crops according to the nutrient requirement of individual crops to make the
system more productive and competitive (Liyanage 1985 Margate et al 1994)
2 Coconut based cropping system
a) Component crops
An experiment was conducted in an existing 35 year old West Coast Tall coconut
garden intercropped with clove banana and pineapple in the research farm of Central
Plantation Crops Research Institute Kasaragod Kerala India The coconut palms are
spaced 8 m apart and arranged in square system of planting Clove banana black pepper
~ 8m
2PilleIe
1++0 I 110Cocaat and black peeper
o 0 0 0
CIIn
0 0
01 101 10 Plant Population (per ha) Coconut - 157 Clove - Ill Banaaa - 345 Pineapple -1150 Black pepper - 157
Figure 1 Planflilg pattern ofcoconut afld other component crops
and pineapple were grown as intercrops (Fig 1 amp Table 2) The experiment was laid out
in 12 ha area and the planting pattern is given in figure 1 The soil is red sandy loam
(Arenic Paleustult) The soil had pH 53 clay 22 048 organic carbon and CEC 47
cmol kg-I soil Initially (1983) the experimental plot had three treatments ie full twoshy
third and one-third of the recommended fertilizer dose Later based on the results of ten
4
yearswheJ
the experiJ
15th and(
in the sysb
dose for co
is divided
black pepI
Table 2 Del
ClOp
Coconut Black pepp Clove Banana Pineapple
b) Integr
i) Fertil
Thequc
N P and I
respectivel
two-third
Table 3 Qw ClOp
Coconut
Clove
Banana
Pineapple
Pepper
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System Technical Bulletin No 49 CPCRI Kasaragod Kerala India 24 p
Published by 1 Dr George V Thomas Director 2
Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (Indian Council ofAgricultural Research)
KASARAGOD - 671124 KERALA INDIA Phone 04994 - 232893232894232895 amp 232996 Fax 04994-232322 Email cpcrinicindirectorcpcrigmailcom Grams RESEARCH Kasaragod Website httpwwwcpcrigovin
Compiled amp Edited blf Dr C Palaniswami Dr George V Thomas Dr R Dhanapal Dr P Subramanian Dr HP Maheswarappa Dr AK Upadhyay
December 2007
Pllotogmplts
Shri K Shymaprasad
Printed nl
Niseema Printers amp Publishers Kochi - 18
CON TENT
1 Introduction 1
2 Coconut based cropping system 4
a) Component crops
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilis r do e
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
iii) Irrigation
3 Effect of INM on crop production 8
a) Effect on yield
b) Effect on foliar nu trient levels
c) Effect on soil nutrient status
d) Effect on microbial parameters
e) Rainfall partitioning
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
g) Root di tribu tion
4 Yield relationship function of coconut 22
5 Economics and employment generation 22
6 Conclusion 23
CPCRI
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut based Cropping System
1 Introduction
Coconut (COCOS nucifera L) widely known as Kalpavriksha is an important perennial
oil yielding crop of humid tropics It is grown widely in the countries lying in the Indian
Ocean and the Pacific Rim India is the largest producer of the coconut and also has the
largest acreage under the crop Philippines Indonesia Ivory Coast Malaysia Thailand
Oceania Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka are the other leading coconut growing countries
In India more than 90 of the coconut acreage and production lies in the four southern
states namely Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
In general coconut like any other plantation crops is grown on variety of soils namely
lateritic and laterite littoral coastal sand red sandy loams alluviums coral peaty and
black soils The ideal coconut growing soils are well drained and aerated with a minimum
depth of 80 to 100 cm pH range between 5 to near neutral adequate nutrient availability
and water holding capacity The major coconut growing soils are laterite lateritic coastal
sand and alluvial Except for alluvials all the other soils have low native fertiHty and
poor physical properties Some of the characteristics of coconut growing soils are shown
in Table 1 The major area of the coconut being in South India suffers from prolonged
spell of dry spell and high rainfall leading mainly to leaching losses of silica and bases
from parent material with concurrent accumulation of oxides of Fe and AI This leads
to the formation of laterites a dominant soil group under plantation crops As shown
in table 1 and various studies have long established that the soils are acidic in reaction
with poor native fertility low CEC a characteristic of Kaolinite as dominant clay minerals
and have high presence of sesquioxides
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Table 1 General physico-chemical properties of coconut growing soils
SoH group Mechmical COIIIpOttioa () pW Org C() CEC Clay snt Sand (C moIIkg)
Laterite 168 105 644 572 055 51 (9 2-392) (2 2-20) (492-868) (40-68) (006-18) (10-144)
Alluvial 179 69 751 579 069 44 (92-316) (1 0-180) (504-892) (42-71) (003-181) (07-113)
Reclaimed marshy 150 39 787 476 068 41 (90-264) (00-136) (640-910) (37-65) (023-291) (06-243)
Coastal sandy 68 08 924 667 013 05 (36-108) (007-78) (872-954) (52-83) (000-046) (04-54)
Sandy loam 170 38 794 581 031 37 (88-302) (106-140) (69 4-902) (48-86) (006-144) (10-117)
125 soil lIlater Ffures ill parmfheses dmole ranges Source Pillai (]975)
Coconut has unique feature among the plantation crops in that it flowers and fruits
throughout the year Therefore its requirement of water and nutrients should be supplied
throughout the year Nutrient exhaust from one hectare of coconut ranged from 92 to
149 kg N 12 to 20 kg P and 119 to 183 kg K This clearly indicates that K and N are
required in higher quantities for coconut production
Integrated nutrient management includes the intelligent use of organic inorganic and
online biological resources (BNF) so as to sustain optimum yields improve or maintain
soils chemical and physical properties and provide crop nutrition packages which are
technically sound economically attractive practically feasible and environmentally safe
(Tandon 1990) INM optimizes all aspects of nutrient cycling - supply uptake and
loss to the environment - to improve food production This bulletin describes
interventions that may be applied to a range of agroecological zones cropping systems
and soil types The interventions address a few key aspects of nutrient management
including improving organic matter in the soil increasing plant-available nutrients and
supplying both organic and chemical fertilizers These interventions have the potential
to increase and sustain production levels increase the economic potential of a production
system and counteract and minimize environmental pollution
Growing of inter mixed crops in coconut garden will not only increase the utilisation
of unexploited natural resources but will also have a beneficial effect on the farm
2
econorr
croppir
thedivlaquo
suitedf
This al~
favour
Nub
will im
differer
to consi
that in i
to thee
way of
It ha
monoa
viz lim
for croF
conside
adoptin
etc in t
be put
ld fruits
upplied
)m 92 to
ld N are
anicand
naintain
hich are
ally safe
ake and
escribes
systems
Igement
mts and
Jotential
gtduction
tilisation
the farm
CPCRI
economics High density multispecies cropping system (HDMSCS) is one of the mixed
cropping systems where a number of compatible crops are grown in a unit area to meet
the diverse needs of the farmers such as food fuel timber fodder and cash and are ideally
suited for smaller units of land and at maximum production both temporally and spatially
This also leads to control of weeds soil and water conseTVation better microclimate and
favourable microbial activity in the soil
Nutrient management in coconut based HDMSCS would be a complex task as this
will involve the interplay of various factors viz nutrient recycling fertilizer additions
differential crop responses nutrient uptake and soil environment Thus there is a need
to consider the system as a unit It has been rightly summarjsed by Oelsligle et Ill (1976)
that in intensive cropping system with tree crops the application of fertilizers according
to the estimated requirement for each crop is certainly not the most efficient and economic
way of utilizing the native and applied nutrients
It has been well established in several coconut growing countries that coconut as a
monocrop is only marginally productive and profitable The interplay of various factors
viz limited size of holdings number of trees needs of the family labour requirement
for crop fluctuating returns to farm families and easiness of marketing are some of the
considerations for the grower to diversify his farm operations for higher returns by
adopting intercropping mixed cropping or introducing other enterprises like dairy poultry
etc in the system Moreover under coconut based cropping system the same land can
be put to use to produce other crops so that the productivity of the land is increased
This wisdom has led the farmers to evolve through their innovative efforts very successful
models which have come to stay in different countries From a recent survey report
it is noted that a farmer had raised 60 species of crops viz trees and ornamental plants
in 04 hectare of homestead gardens in the p remier coconut growing state of Kerala
Nevertheless the traditional method of distribution of crops in a coconut garden is not
scientific to utilize natural resources efficiently
Nutrient management in cropping farming system is difficult as it involves interplay
of various factors like crop requirements differential crop responses crop residue additions
3
I
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
management practices suiting crop needs water requirement and soil environment It
is therefore imperative that whole system must be considered as one unit Experience
in coconut based cropping system suggests that it is necessary to fertilize coconut and
component crops according to the nutrient requirement of individual crops to make the
system more productive and competitive (Liyanage 1985 Margate et al 1994)
2 Coconut based cropping system
a) Component crops
An experiment was conducted in an existing 35 year old West Coast Tall coconut
garden intercropped with clove banana and pineapple in the research farm of Central
Plantation Crops Research Institute Kasaragod Kerala India The coconut palms are
spaced 8 m apart and arranged in square system of planting Clove banana black pepper
~ 8m
2PilleIe
1++0 I 110Cocaat and black peeper
o 0 0 0
CIIn
0 0
01 101 10 Plant Population (per ha) Coconut - 157 Clove - Ill Banaaa - 345 Pineapple -1150 Black pepper - 157
Figure 1 Planflilg pattern ofcoconut afld other component crops
and pineapple were grown as intercrops (Fig 1 amp Table 2) The experiment was laid out
in 12 ha area and the planting pattern is given in figure 1 The soil is red sandy loam
(Arenic Paleustult) The soil had pH 53 clay 22 048 organic carbon and CEC 47
cmol kg-I soil Initially (1983) the experimental plot had three treatments ie full twoshy
third and one-third of the recommended fertilizer dose Later based on the results of ten
4
yearswheJ
the experiJ
15th and(
in the sysb
dose for co
is divided
black pepI
Table 2 Del
ClOp
Coconut Black pepp Clove Banana Pineapple
b) Integr
i) Fertil
Thequc
N P and I
respectivel
two-third
Table 3 Qw ClOp
Coconut
Clove
Banana
Pineapple
Pepper
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
CON TENT
1 Introduction 1
2 Coconut based cropping system 4
a) Component crops
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilis r do e
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
iii) Irrigation
3 Effect of INM on crop production 8
a) Effect on yield
b) Effect on foliar nu trient levels
c) Effect on soil nutrient status
d) Effect on microbial parameters
e) Rainfall partitioning
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
g) Root di tribu tion
4 Yield relationship function of coconut 22
5 Economics and employment generation 22
6 Conclusion 23
CPCRI
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut based Cropping System
1 Introduction
Coconut (COCOS nucifera L) widely known as Kalpavriksha is an important perennial
oil yielding crop of humid tropics It is grown widely in the countries lying in the Indian
Ocean and the Pacific Rim India is the largest producer of the coconut and also has the
largest acreage under the crop Philippines Indonesia Ivory Coast Malaysia Thailand
Oceania Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka are the other leading coconut growing countries
In India more than 90 of the coconut acreage and production lies in the four southern
states namely Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
In general coconut like any other plantation crops is grown on variety of soils namely
lateritic and laterite littoral coastal sand red sandy loams alluviums coral peaty and
black soils The ideal coconut growing soils are well drained and aerated with a minimum
depth of 80 to 100 cm pH range between 5 to near neutral adequate nutrient availability
and water holding capacity The major coconut growing soils are laterite lateritic coastal
sand and alluvial Except for alluvials all the other soils have low native fertiHty and
poor physical properties Some of the characteristics of coconut growing soils are shown
in Table 1 The major area of the coconut being in South India suffers from prolonged
spell of dry spell and high rainfall leading mainly to leaching losses of silica and bases
from parent material with concurrent accumulation of oxides of Fe and AI This leads
to the formation of laterites a dominant soil group under plantation crops As shown
in table 1 and various studies have long established that the soils are acidic in reaction
with poor native fertility low CEC a characteristic of Kaolinite as dominant clay minerals
and have high presence of sesquioxides
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Table 1 General physico-chemical properties of coconut growing soils
SoH group Mechmical COIIIpOttioa () pW Org C() CEC Clay snt Sand (C moIIkg)
Laterite 168 105 644 572 055 51 (9 2-392) (2 2-20) (492-868) (40-68) (006-18) (10-144)
Alluvial 179 69 751 579 069 44 (92-316) (1 0-180) (504-892) (42-71) (003-181) (07-113)
Reclaimed marshy 150 39 787 476 068 41 (90-264) (00-136) (640-910) (37-65) (023-291) (06-243)
Coastal sandy 68 08 924 667 013 05 (36-108) (007-78) (872-954) (52-83) (000-046) (04-54)
Sandy loam 170 38 794 581 031 37 (88-302) (106-140) (69 4-902) (48-86) (006-144) (10-117)
125 soil lIlater Ffures ill parmfheses dmole ranges Source Pillai (]975)
Coconut has unique feature among the plantation crops in that it flowers and fruits
throughout the year Therefore its requirement of water and nutrients should be supplied
throughout the year Nutrient exhaust from one hectare of coconut ranged from 92 to
149 kg N 12 to 20 kg P and 119 to 183 kg K This clearly indicates that K and N are
required in higher quantities for coconut production
Integrated nutrient management includes the intelligent use of organic inorganic and
online biological resources (BNF) so as to sustain optimum yields improve or maintain
soils chemical and physical properties and provide crop nutrition packages which are
technically sound economically attractive practically feasible and environmentally safe
(Tandon 1990) INM optimizes all aspects of nutrient cycling - supply uptake and
loss to the environment - to improve food production This bulletin describes
interventions that may be applied to a range of agroecological zones cropping systems
and soil types The interventions address a few key aspects of nutrient management
including improving organic matter in the soil increasing plant-available nutrients and
supplying both organic and chemical fertilizers These interventions have the potential
to increase and sustain production levels increase the economic potential of a production
system and counteract and minimize environmental pollution
Growing of inter mixed crops in coconut garden will not only increase the utilisation
of unexploited natural resources but will also have a beneficial effect on the farm
2
econorr
croppir
thedivlaquo
suitedf
This al~
favour
Nub
will im
differer
to consi
that in i
to thee
way of
It ha
monoa
viz lim
for croF
conside
adoptin
etc in t
be put
ld fruits
upplied
)m 92 to
ld N are
anicand
naintain
hich are
ally safe
ake and
escribes
systems
Igement
mts and
Jotential
gtduction
tilisation
the farm
CPCRI
economics High density multispecies cropping system (HDMSCS) is one of the mixed
cropping systems where a number of compatible crops are grown in a unit area to meet
the diverse needs of the farmers such as food fuel timber fodder and cash and are ideally
suited for smaller units of land and at maximum production both temporally and spatially
This also leads to control of weeds soil and water conseTVation better microclimate and
favourable microbial activity in the soil
Nutrient management in coconut based HDMSCS would be a complex task as this
will involve the interplay of various factors viz nutrient recycling fertilizer additions
differential crop responses nutrient uptake and soil environment Thus there is a need
to consider the system as a unit It has been rightly summarjsed by Oelsligle et Ill (1976)
that in intensive cropping system with tree crops the application of fertilizers according
to the estimated requirement for each crop is certainly not the most efficient and economic
way of utilizing the native and applied nutrients
It has been well established in several coconut growing countries that coconut as a
monocrop is only marginally productive and profitable The interplay of various factors
viz limited size of holdings number of trees needs of the family labour requirement
for crop fluctuating returns to farm families and easiness of marketing are some of the
considerations for the grower to diversify his farm operations for higher returns by
adopting intercropping mixed cropping or introducing other enterprises like dairy poultry
etc in the system Moreover under coconut based cropping system the same land can
be put to use to produce other crops so that the productivity of the land is increased
This wisdom has led the farmers to evolve through their innovative efforts very successful
models which have come to stay in different countries From a recent survey report
it is noted that a farmer had raised 60 species of crops viz trees and ornamental plants
in 04 hectare of homestead gardens in the p remier coconut growing state of Kerala
Nevertheless the traditional method of distribution of crops in a coconut garden is not
scientific to utilize natural resources efficiently
Nutrient management in cropping farming system is difficult as it involves interplay
of various factors like crop requirements differential crop responses crop residue additions
3
I
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
management practices suiting crop needs water requirement and soil environment It
is therefore imperative that whole system must be considered as one unit Experience
in coconut based cropping system suggests that it is necessary to fertilize coconut and
component crops according to the nutrient requirement of individual crops to make the
system more productive and competitive (Liyanage 1985 Margate et al 1994)
2 Coconut based cropping system
a) Component crops
An experiment was conducted in an existing 35 year old West Coast Tall coconut
garden intercropped with clove banana and pineapple in the research farm of Central
Plantation Crops Research Institute Kasaragod Kerala India The coconut palms are
spaced 8 m apart and arranged in square system of planting Clove banana black pepper
~ 8m
2PilleIe
1++0 I 110Cocaat and black peeper
o 0 0 0
CIIn
0 0
01 101 10 Plant Population (per ha) Coconut - 157 Clove - Ill Banaaa - 345 Pineapple -1150 Black pepper - 157
Figure 1 Planflilg pattern ofcoconut afld other component crops
and pineapple were grown as intercrops (Fig 1 amp Table 2) The experiment was laid out
in 12 ha area and the planting pattern is given in figure 1 The soil is red sandy loam
(Arenic Paleustult) The soil had pH 53 clay 22 048 organic carbon and CEC 47
cmol kg-I soil Initially (1983) the experimental plot had three treatments ie full twoshy
third and one-third of the recommended fertilizer dose Later based on the results of ten
4
yearswheJ
the experiJ
15th and(
in the sysb
dose for co
is divided
black pepI
Table 2 Del
ClOp
Coconut Black pepp Clove Banana Pineapple
b) Integr
i) Fertil
Thequc
N P and I
respectivel
two-third
Table 3 Qw ClOp
Coconut
Clove
Banana
Pineapple
Pepper
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
CPCRI
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut based Cropping System
1 Introduction
Coconut (COCOS nucifera L) widely known as Kalpavriksha is an important perennial
oil yielding crop of humid tropics It is grown widely in the countries lying in the Indian
Ocean and the Pacific Rim India is the largest producer of the coconut and also has the
largest acreage under the crop Philippines Indonesia Ivory Coast Malaysia Thailand
Oceania Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka are the other leading coconut growing countries
In India more than 90 of the coconut acreage and production lies in the four southern
states namely Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
In general coconut like any other plantation crops is grown on variety of soils namely
lateritic and laterite littoral coastal sand red sandy loams alluviums coral peaty and
black soils The ideal coconut growing soils are well drained and aerated with a minimum
depth of 80 to 100 cm pH range between 5 to near neutral adequate nutrient availability
and water holding capacity The major coconut growing soils are laterite lateritic coastal
sand and alluvial Except for alluvials all the other soils have low native fertiHty and
poor physical properties Some of the characteristics of coconut growing soils are shown
in Table 1 The major area of the coconut being in South India suffers from prolonged
spell of dry spell and high rainfall leading mainly to leaching losses of silica and bases
from parent material with concurrent accumulation of oxides of Fe and AI This leads
to the formation of laterites a dominant soil group under plantation crops As shown
in table 1 and various studies have long established that the soils are acidic in reaction
with poor native fertility low CEC a characteristic of Kaolinite as dominant clay minerals
and have high presence of sesquioxides
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Table 1 General physico-chemical properties of coconut growing soils
SoH group Mechmical COIIIpOttioa () pW Org C() CEC Clay snt Sand (C moIIkg)
Laterite 168 105 644 572 055 51 (9 2-392) (2 2-20) (492-868) (40-68) (006-18) (10-144)
Alluvial 179 69 751 579 069 44 (92-316) (1 0-180) (504-892) (42-71) (003-181) (07-113)
Reclaimed marshy 150 39 787 476 068 41 (90-264) (00-136) (640-910) (37-65) (023-291) (06-243)
Coastal sandy 68 08 924 667 013 05 (36-108) (007-78) (872-954) (52-83) (000-046) (04-54)
Sandy loam 170 38 794 581 031 37 (88-302) (106-140) (69 4-902) (48-86) (006-144) (10-117)
125 soil lIlater Ffures ill parmfheses dmole ranges Source Pillai (]975)
Coconut has unique feature among the plantation crops in that it flowers and fruits
throughout the year Therefore its requirement of water and nutrients should be supplied
throughout the year Nutrient exhaust from one hectare of coconut ranged from 92 to
149 kg N 12 to 20 kg P and 119 to 183 kg K This clearly indicates that K and N are
required in higher quantities for coconut production
Integrated nutrient management includes the intelligent use of organic inorganic and
online biological resources (BNF) so as to sustain optimum yields improve or maintain
soils chemical and physical properties and provide crop nutrition packages which are
technically sound economically attractive practically feasible and environmentally safe
(Tandon 1990) INM optimizes all aspects of nutrient cycling - supply uptake and
loss to the environment - to improve food production This bulletin describes
interventions that may be applied to a range of agroecological zones cropping systems
and soil types The interventions address a few key aspects of nutrient management
including improving organic matter in the soil increasing plant-available nutrients and
supplying both organic and chemical fertilizers These interventions have the potential
to increase and sustain production levels increase the economic potential of a production
system and counteract and minimize environmental pollution
Growing of inter mixed crops in coconut garden will not only increase the utilisation
of unexploited natural resources but will also have a beneficial effect on the farm
2
econorr
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This al~
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be put
ld fruits
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)m 92 to
ld N are
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ally safe
ake and
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CPCRI
economics High density multispecies cropping system (HDMSCS) is one of the mixed
cropping systems where a number of compatible crops are grown in a unit area to meet
the diverse needs of the farmers such as food fuel timber fodder and cash and are ideally
suited for smaller units of land and at maximum production both temporally and spatially
This also leads to control of weeds soil and water conseTVation better microclimate and
favourable microbial activity in the soil
Nutrient management in coconut based HDMSCS would be a complex task as this
will involve the interplay of various factors viz nutrient recycling fertilizer additions
differential crop responses nutrient uptake and soil environment Thus there is a need
to consider the system as a unit It has been rightly summarjsed by Oelsligle et Ill (1976)
that in intensive cropping system with tree crops the application of fertilizers according
to the estimated requirement for each crop is certainly not the most efficient and economic
way of utilizing the native and applied nutrients
It has been well established in several coconut growing countries that coconut as a
monocrop is only marginally productive and profitable The interplay of various factors
viz limited size of holdings number of trees needs of the family labour requirement
for crop fluctuating returns to farm families and easiness of marketing are some of the
considerations for the grower to diversify his farm operations for higher returns by
adopting intercropping mixed cropping or introducing other enterprises like dairy poultry
etc in the system Moreover under coconut based cropping system the same land can
be put to use to produce other crops so that the productivity of the land is increased
This wisdom has led the farmers to evolve through their innovative efforts very successful
models which have come to stay in different countries From a recent survey report
it is noted that a farmer had raised 60 species of crops viz trees and ornamental plants
in 04 hectare of homestead gardens in the p remier coconut growing state of Kerala
Nevertheless the traditional method of distribution of crops in a coconut garden is not
scientific to utilize natural resources efficiently
Nutrient management in cropping farming system is difficult as it involves interplay
of various factors like crop requirements differential crop responses crop residue additions
3
I
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
management practices suiting crop needs water requirement and soil environment It
is therefore imperative that whole system must be considered as one unit Experience
in coconut based cropping system suggests that it is necessary to fertilize coconut and
component crops according to the nutrient requirement of individual crops to make the
system more productive and competitive (Liyanage 1985 Margate et al 1994)
2 Coconut based cropping system
a) Component crops
An experiment was conducted in an existing 35 year old West Coast Tall coconut
garden intercropped with clove banana and pineapple in the research farm of Central
Plantation Crops Research Institute Kasaragod Kerala India The coconut palms are
spaced 8 m apart and arranged in square system of planting Clove banana black pepper
~ 8m
2PilleIe
1++0 I 110Cocaat and black peeper
o 0 0 0
CIIn
0 0
01 101 10 Plant Population (per ha) Coconut - 157 Clove - Ill Banaaa - 345 Pineapple -1150 Black pepper - 157
Figure 1 Planflilg pattern ofcoconut afld other component crops
and pineapple were grown as intercrops (Fig 1 amp Table 2) The experiment was laid out
in 12 ha area and the planting pattern is given in figure 1 The soil is red sandy loam
(Arenic Paleustult) The soil had pH 53 clay 22 048 organic carbon and CEC 47
cmol kg-I soil Initially (1983) the experimental plot had three treatments ie full twoshy
third and one-third of the recommended fertilizer dose Later based on the results of ten
4
yearswheJ
the experiJ
15th and(
in the sysb
dose for co
is divided
black pepI
Table 2 Del
ClOp
Coconut Black pepp Clove Banana Pineapple
b) Integr
i) Fertil
Thequc
N P and I
respectivel
two-third
Table 3 Qw ClOp
Coconut
Clove
Banana
Pineapple
Pepper
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
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CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
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ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Table 1 General physico-chemical properties of coconut growing soils
SoH group Mechmical COIIIpOttioa () pW Org C() CEC Clay snt Sand (C moIIkg)
Laterite 168 105 644 572 055 51 (9 2-392) (2 2-20) (492-868) (40-68) (006-18) (10-144)
Alluvial 179 69 751 579 069 44 (92-316) (1 0-180) (504-892) (42-71) (003-181) (07-113)
Reclaimed marshy 150 39 787 476 068 41 (90-264) (00-136) (640-910) (37-65) (023-291) (06-243)
Coastal sandy 68 08 924 667 013 05 (36-108) (007-78) (872-954) (52-83) (000-046) (04-54)
Sandy loam 170 38 794 581 031 37 (88-302) (106-140) (69 4-902) (48-86) (006-144) (10-117)
125 soil lIlater Ffures ill parmfheses dmole ranges Source Pillai (]975)
Coconut has unique feature among the plantation crops in that it flowers and fruits
throughout the year Therefore its requirement of water and nutrients should be supplied
throughout the year Nutrient exhaust from one hectare of coconut ranged from 92 to
149 kg N 12 to 20 kg P and 119 to 183 kg K This clearly indicates that K and N are
required in higher quantities for coconut production
Integrated nutrient management includes the intelligent use of organic inorganic and
online biological resources (BNF) so as to sustain optimum yields improve or maintain
soils chemical and physical properties and provide crop nutrition packages which are
technically sound economically attractive practically feasible and environmentally safe
(Tandon 1990) INM optimizes all aspects of nutrient cycling - supply uptake and
loss to the environment - to improve food production This bulletin describes
interventions that may be applied to a range of agroecological zones cropping systems
and soil types The interventions address a few key aspects of nutrient management
including improving organic matter in the soil increasing plant-available nutrients and
supplying both organic and chemical fertilizers These interventions have the potential
to increase and sustain production levels increase the economic potential of a production
system and counteract and minimize environmental pollution
Growing of inter mixed crops in coconut garden will not only increase the utilisation
of unexploited natural resources but will also have a beneficial effect on the farm
2
econorr
croppir
thedivlaquo
suitedf
This al~
favour
Nub
will im
differer
to consi
that in i
to thee
way of
It ha
monoa
viz lim
for croF
conside
adoptin
etc in t
be put
ld fruits
upplied
)m 92 to
ld N are
anicand
naintain
hich are
ally safe
ake and
escribes
systems
Igement
mts and
Jotential
gtduction
tilisation
the farm
CPCRI
economics High density multispecies cropping system (HDMSCS) is one of the mixed
cropping systems where a number of compatible crops are grown in a unit area to meet
the diverse needs of the farmers such as food fuel timber fodder and cash and are ideally
suited for smaller units of land and at maximum production both temporally and spatially
This also leads to control of weeds soil and water conseTVation better microclimate and
favourable microbial activity in the soil
Nutrient management in coconut based HDMSCS would be a complex task as this
will involve the interplay of various factors viz nutrient recycling fertilizer additions
differential crop responses nutrient uptake and soil environment Thus there is a need
to consider the system as a unit It has been rightly summarjsed by Oelsligle et Ill (1976)
that in intensive cropping system with tree crops the application of fertilizers according
to the estimated requirement for each crop is certainly not the most efficient and economic
way of utilizing the native and applied nutrients
It has been well established in several coconut growing countries that coconut as a
monocrop is only marginally productive and profitable The interplay of various factors
viz limited size of holdings number of trees needs of the family labour requirement
for crop fluctuating returns to farm families and easiness of marketing are some of the
considerations for the grower to diversify his farm operations for higher returns by
adopting intercropping mixed cropping or introducing other enterprises like dairy poultry
etc in the system Moreover under coconut based cropping system the same land can
be put to use to produce other crops so that the productivity of the land is increased
This wisdom has led the farmers to evolve through their innovative efforts very successful
models which have come to stay in different countries From a recent survey report
it is noted that a farmer had raised 60 species of crops viz trees and ornamental plants
in 04 hectare of homestead gardens in the p remier coconut growing state of Kerala
Nevertheless the traditional method of distribution of crops in a coconut garden is not
scientific to utilize natural resources efficiently
Nutrient management in cropping farming system is difficult as it involves interplay
of various factors like crop requirements differential crop responses crop residue additions
3
I
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
management practices suiting crop needs water requirement and soil environment It
is therefore imperative that whole system must be considered as one unit Experience
in coconut based cropping system suggests that it is necessary to fertilize coconut and
component crops according to the nutrient requirement of individual crops to make the
system more productive and competitive (Liyanage 1985 Margate et al 1994)
2 Coconut based cropping system
a) Component crops
An experiment was conducted in an existing 35 year old West Coast Tall coconut
garden intercropped with clove banana and pineapple in the research farm of Central
Plantation Crops Research Institute Kasaragod Kerala India The coconut palms are
spaced 8 m apart and arranged in square system of planting Clove banana black pepper
~ 8m
2PilleIe
1++0 I 110Cocaat and black peeper
o 0 0 0
CIIn
0 0
01 101 10 Plant Population (per ha) Coconut - 157 Clove - Ill Banaaa - 345 Pineapple -1150 Black pepper - 157
Figure 1 Planflilg pattern ofcoconut afld other component crops
and pineapple were grown as intercrops (Fig 1 amp Table 2) The experiment was laid out
in 12 ha area and the planting pattern is given in figure 1 The soil is red sandy loam
(Arenic Paleustult) The soil had pH 53 clay 22 048 organic carbon and CEC 47
cmol kg-I soil Initially (1983) the experimental plot had three treatments ie full twoshy
third and one-third of the recommended fertilizer dose Later based on the results of ten
4
yearswheJ
the experiJ
15th and(
in the sysb
dose for co
is divided
black pepI
Table 2 Del
ClOp
Coconut Black pepp Clove Banana Pineapple
b) Integr
i) Fertil
Thequc
N P and I
respectivel
two-third
Table 3 Qw ClOp
Coconut
Clove
Banana
Pineapple
Pepper
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
ld fruits
upplied
)m 92 to
ld N are
anicand
naintain
hich are
ally safe
ake and
escribes
systems
Igement
mts and
Jotential
gtduction
tilisation
the farm
CPCRI
economics High density multispecies cropping system (HDMSCS) is one of the mixed
cropping systems where a number of compatible crops are grown in a unit area to meet
the diverse needs of the farmers such as food fuel timber fodder and cash and are ideally
suited for smaller units of land and at maximum production both temporally and spatially
This also leads to control of weeds soil and water conseTVation better microclimate and
favourable microbial activity in the soil
Nutrient management in coconut based HDMSCS would be a complex task as this
will involve the interplay of various factors viz nutrient recycling fertilizer additions
differential crop responses nutrient uptake and soil environment Thus there is a need
to consider the system as a unit It has been rightly summarjsed by Oelsligle et Ill (1976)
that in intensive cropping system with tree crops the application of fertilizers according
to the estimated requirement for each crop is certainly not the most efficient and economic
way of utilizing the native and applied nutrients
It has been well established in several coconut growing countries that coconut as a
monocrop is only marginally productive and profitable The interplay of various factors
viz limited size of holdings number of trees needs of the family labour requirement
for crop fluctuating returns to farm families and easiness of marketing are some of the
considerations for the grower to diversify his farm operations for higher returns by
adopting intercropping mixed cropping or introducing other enterprises like dairy poultry
etc in the system Moreover under coconut based cropping system the same land can
be put to use to produce other crops so that the productivity of the land is increased
This wisdom has led the farmers to evolve through their innovative efforts very successful
models which have come to stay in different countries From a recent survey report
it is noted that a farmer had raised 60 species of crops viz trees and ornamental plants
in 04 hectare of homestead gardens in the p remier coconut growing state of Kerala
Nevertheless the traditional method of distribution of crops in a coconut garden is not
scientific to utilize natural resources efficiently
Nutrient management in cropping farming system is difficult as it involves interplay
of various factors like crop requirements differential crop responses crop residue additions
3
I
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
management practices suiting crop needs water requirement and soil environment It
is therefore imperative that whole system must be considered as one unit Experience
in coconut based cropping system suggests that it is necessary to fertilize coconut and
component crops according to the nutrient requirement of individual crops to make the
system more productive and competitive (Liyanage 1985 Margate et al 1994)
2 Coconut based cropping system
a) Component crops
An experiment was conducted in an existing 35 year old West Coast Tall coconut
garden intercropped with clove banana and pineapple in the research farm of Central
Plantation Crops Research Institute Kasaragod Kerala India The coconut palms are
spaced 8 m apart and arranged in square system of planting Clove banana black pepper
~ 8m
2PilleIe
1++0 I 110Cocaat and black peeper
o 0 0 0
CIIn
0 0
01 101 10 Plant Population (per ha) Coconut - 157 Clove - Ill Banaaa - 345 Pineapple -1150 Black pepper - 157
Figure 1 Planflilg pattern ofcoconut afld other component crops
and pineapple were grown as intercrops (Fig 1 amp Table 2) The experiment was laid out
in 12 ha area and the planting pattern is given in figure 1 The soil is red sandy loam
(Arenic Paleustult) The soil had pH 53 clay 22 048 organic carbon and CEC 47
cmol kg-I soil Initially (1983) the experimental plot had three treatments ie full twoshy
third and one-third of the recommended fertilizer dose Later based on the results of ten
4
yearswheJ
the experiJ
15th and(
in the sysb
dose for co
is divided
black pepI
Table 2 Del
ClOp
Coconut Black pepp Clove Banana Pineapple
b) Integr
i) Fertil
Thequc
N P and I
respectivel
two-third
Table 3 Qw ClOp
Coconut
Clove
Banana
Pineapple
Pepper
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
I
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
management practices suiting crop needs water requirement and soil environment It
is therefore imperative that whole system must be considered as one unit Experience
in coconut based cropping system suggests that it is necessary to fertilize coconut and
component crops according to the nutrient requirement of individual crops to make the
system more productive and competitive (Liyanage 1985 Margate et al 1994)
2 Coconut based cropping system
a) Component crops
An experiment was conducted in an existing 35 year old West Coast Tall coconut
garden intercropped with clove banana and pineapple in the research farm of Central
Plantation Crops Research Institute Kasaragod Kerala India The coconut palms are
spaced 8 m apart and arranged in square system of planting Clove banana black pepper
~ 8m
2PilleIe
1++0 I 110Cocaat and black peeper
o 0 0 0
CIIn
0 0
01 101 10 Plant Population (per ha) Coconut - 157 Clove - Ill Banaaa - 345 Pineapple -1150 Black pepper - 157
Figure 1 Planflilg pattern ofcoconut afld other component crops
and pineapple were grown as intercrops (Fig 1 amp Table 2) The experiment was laid out
in 12 ha area and the planting pattern is given in figure 1 The soil is red sandy loam
(Arenic Paleustult) The soil had pH 53 clay 22 048 organic carbon and CEC 47
cmol kg-I soil Initially (1983) the experimental plot had three treatments ie full twoshy
third and one-third of the recommended fertilizer dose Later based on the results of ten
4
yearswheJ
the experiJ
15th and(
in the sysb
dose for co
is divided
black pepI
Table 2 Del
ClOp
Coconut Black pepp Clove Banana Pineapple
b) Integr
i) Fertil
Thequc
N P and I
respectivel
two-third
Table 3 Qw ClOp
Coconut
Clove
Banana
Pineapple
Pepper
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
coconut
pepper
JO
CPCRI
years wherein one-third was found sufficient for maintaining the optimum crop nutrition
the experiment was modified by including three more additional treatments like 14th
15th and control from the year 1994 From 1999 onwards organic recycling was practiced
in the system by vermicomposting the available biomass and the lower level of fertilizer
dose for component crops was kept as 1 j3rd of recommended fertilizer dose The experiment
o o
~O
was laid out
sandy loam
and CEC 47
111 full two-
results of ten
is divided into six blocks with an area of 2048 m2 comprising of 32 coconut palms 32
black pepper 21 clove 84 banana and 21 pineapple beds consisting of 2250 pineapple
Table 2 Details of the component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Crop Variety Coconut WCT Black pepper Panniyur -1 Clove Local cultivar Banana Kadali Pineapple Kew
SpaciDs 8 x 8 m Trailed on coconut 8 x 8 m 3 x 8m 45 x 45 em two rows in 4 meter bed
No plantslba 157 157 112
345 2250
b) Integrated nutrient management
i) Fertilizer dose
The quantity of nutrient applied for crops in the system is given in the Table 3 The
N P and K were applied in the form of urea mussoorie-phos and muriate of potash
respectively in two splits viz one-third (33 ) in May-June (beginning of monsoon) and
two-third (66 ) in September- October (receding monsoon)
Table 3 Quantity of fertiliser applied for the different crops in the INM experiment (gplant)
Crop Nutrient VSth VCth lIMh 2I3th Full Coconut N 100 125 167 333 500
P 64 80 107 213 320 K 240 300 400 BOO 1200
Clove N 60 75 100 200 300 P SO 63 83 167 250 K 150 188 250 SOO 750
Banana N 40 50 67 133 200 p 40 SO 67 133 200 K 80 100 133 267 400
Pineapple N 2 2 3 5 8 P 1 1 1 3 4 K 2 2 3 5 8
Pepper N 10 13 17 33 50 P 10 13 17 33 SO K 30 38 50 100 150
5
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
ii) Crop residue availability and recycling
Biomass production
The total biomass from the system was estimated on yearly basis Highest coconut
biomass was obtained in the full dose treatment (2351 tha) and it was 19 tha in the
control treatment (Table 4) Major contribution of biomass is from coconut (Fig 2 )
3 3 1
bull Clove
bull Coconut
o Banana
o Pineapple
93
Figure 2 Bwmoss contribution from fIe component crops
Table 4 Biomass production and nutrient export in coconut from the system (on dry wt basis)
FerIillzer Bicuna Nitropn (kgIha) Phosphorus (kgIha) PotasSium (kgIha) treabnenlll (tIha) BxhIlll8l Jlecycled Exhaust Recycled Exhaust Recycled
Full 2351 13043 7058 1829 855 17264 11426 Two-third 2271 13029 6958 1809 754 18235 12111 One-third 2229 12129 6171 1681 686 17674 11309 One-fourth 2072 10321 4787 1786 819 14249 9097 One-fifth 2024 9803 4778 1538 682 13403 9231 Control 1905 9711 4892 1306 544 12545 8784
Nument lecycling
The total nutrient exhaust in the cropping system ranged from 13045 1829 and 17264
kg of N P and K respectively per ha in the full dose to 9711 1306 and 12545 kg of
N P and K respectively per ha in the no fertilizer treatment plot The extent of nutrient
recycling rangedfrom 47 to 70 kg Nha 54 to 85 kg P ha and 87 to 121 kg Kha and
their per cent recyclable waste is given in Figure 3
6
-i
il
Figure 3
Vermicomp
Theweat
can be usee to be treatet
and must b
The earthw
Thecompm
or gunny hi
to maintain
is not
same
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
coconut
ha in the
Fig 2 )
ut
haand
CPCRI
- iil i Wl ~ [ililc ~Iml ~ ~ II]
~ iIil -~ -a III abull ml
~
Figure 3 Per cent ofrecyclable nutrients to total nutrient exhust under d(fferentfertilizer levels
Vermicomposting
The weathered biomass obtained during rainy seasons may be preferred This waste
can be used without chopping thus saving a lot of labour These organic wastes are
to be treated with cow dung at the rate of 10 per cent by weight in the form of slurry
and must be allowed to undergo a preliminary decomposition for about 2 -3 weeks
The earthworms at the rate of 1000 worms per tonne of biomass are to be introduced
The compost bed should be mulched properly using any locally available plant material
or gunny bags and has to be protected from direct sun light Watering is to be done
to maintain enough moisture As full leaves are used for composting compact mass
is not formed thus allowing free movement of air in the bed In about 60- 75 days compost
will be ready On an average 70 per cent recovery of vermicompost was obtained The
same technology for vermicomposting was also tested in large pits taken in the inter
spaces of four coconut palms in sandy loam and coastal sandy soils and was found to
work well The average nutrient composition of the vermicompost recovered was N
(18) P (022) K (016) Organic carbon (1784) and CN (995) Total microbial
counts and beneficial microbial population were also more in the compost compared
to the base material The CN ratio of the organic matter ingested by the earthworm
decreases and bound nutrients are converted into easily available forms
7
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
iii) Irrigation
Perfo irrigation which is modified form of sprinkler irrigation (Fig 4) was given during
the dry period (December-May) at IW ePE ratio 100
Figure 4 Perjo irrigation in the coconut based cropping system
3 Effect of INM on crop production
a) Effect on yield
In the coconut based high density multispecies cropping system the coconut yield
(mean of six years) ranged from 127 nutspalmyear under no fertilizer control treatment
to 147 nutspalmyear at two third and one third of the recommended fertilizer dose
(Table 5) The productivity of the palm declined with the reduction in the fertilizer levels
beyond 13rd of the recommended fertilizer treatment The yield of the clove tree varied
with the fertilizer treatments The clove yield was highest at the 23rd of recommended
fertiUzer dose (155 kgtreeyear) The average weight of banana bunch (576 kgbunch)
and weight of pineapple fruit (890 g) was highest in the full recommended dose treatment
The black pepper yield was highest in the 23rd recommended fertilizer dose (166 kg bushyear)
8
of
Table 5 0
Coconut ( Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Pineapple Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Oove (dJ Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Banana (~
Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control Black pep Full 23rd 13rd 14th lSth Control
Coconut
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
d
it
e
Is
d
d
)
t
bull
bull
CPCRI
Table 5 Output from different crops under coconut based cropping system model at Kasaragod
1999-ZOO1 2001~ 2003-05 mean
Coconut (no nutspalmyear) Full 152 139 143 145 23rd 157 145 139 147 13rd 152 142 146 147 14th 138 128 147 137 15th 128 127 133 129 Control 121 129 131 127 Pineapple(kgfruit) Full 101 115 051 089 23rd 098 064 049 070 13rd 075 060 036 057 14th 047 044 037 043 15th 050 051 042 048 Control 047 047 043 045 Oove (dry kgtreeyear) Full 083 158 191 144 23rd 092 110 262 155 13rd 087 099 189 125 14th 032 082 221 112 15th 022 063 215 100 Control 046 217 132 Banana (kg bunch) Full 710 667 351 576 23rd 670 614 343 543 13rd 670 414 327 470 14th 510 521 277 436 15th 480 429 265 391 Control 450 471 238 386 Black pepper (kgbushyear) Full 034 140 087 23rd 063 269 166 13rd 046 133 090 14th 070 143 106 15th 034 050 042 Control 013 078 046
Coconut yield sustainability analysis
Sustainability of yield in the coconut was estimated by quantifying yield variation
over the year by similar sequence matching technique It was observed that the control
treatment came closer to other treatments after organic recycling Without application
of recycled organics there was higher year to year yield variation in the control treatment
9
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
I Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
compared to other fertilised treatments After recycling of the organics year to year
yield variation of control treatment was similar to other treatments As indicated by the
mean euclidean distance of control with other treatments it was 139 prior to organic ~
recycling while it was 087 after organic recycling (Table 6) There was decrease in shyamplitude after the introduction of organic recycling in the normalized sequence (Fig
5) In the control treatment amplitude of 198 during pre organic recycling had reduced to 177 in post organic recycling This clearly indicates that the decrease in the year iiito year yield variation However the amplitude decrease was more perceptible in control ~ treatment compared to other treatments ~l
Table 6 Euclidean distance of normalized subsequence
Full 213rd 1I3rd 1I4th 1I5th Control
Pre organic recycling
Full 09415 02647 10225 04370 11245 213rd 09415 07244 09311 08487 17641 1I3rd 02647 07244 09681 05194 13481 1I4th 10225 09311 09681 08482 16880 115th 04370 08487 05194 08482 10147 Control 11245 17641 13481 16880 10147
Post organic recycling
Full 10020 05122 08162 10047 11507 213rd 10020 07617 08161 07414 13105 113rd 05122 07617 03152 05050 07629 114th 08162 08161 03152 02357 05335 115th 10047 07414 05050 02357 06137 Control 11507 13105 07629 05335 06137
b) Effect on foliar nutrient levels
The nutrient status of the plant was monitored and it was found that in general lower I dose of fertilizer treatment recorded numerically higher values for coconut leaf P Ca
Mg Zn Cu Fe and Mn content due to the concentration effect (Table 7 amp 8) However
all the nutrient contents were in optimum level In respectof component crops although
the economic and biomass yields were higher with the higher fertilizer levels the foliar
nutrient contents for P and K did not vary much among the fertilizer levels except in
pineapple In case of pineapple application of fertilizer increased the yield and decreased
the foliar N P and K levels due to dilution effect
10
~
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
~
bull
I
)wer ICa
ever
)Ugh
oliar
pt in
ased
-
CPCRI
Component crops in the coconut based cropping system
Coconut Pineapple nndclove
Btmnlln Blnck pepper
II
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
2
CII u 1S c CII I 0shyCII
-+- FullII)
5 -shy 23rdCII
u OSc 13rdCII ~
0 -shy 14th C -shy 1SthCII
~ -0 S to -shy Control E 0 z -1
-1S
Control 1820 0170 2643
15th 1792 0185 2350
14th 1830 0177 2322
13rd 1876 0172 2493
12
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Figure 5 Normalised coconut yield difference i11 sequence i11 the coconut based cropping system model dunng pre a11dpost organic recycling
Table 7 Major foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops
Crop Dutmeat N() P () K ()
COCONUT Control 182 0140 103
15th 179 0147 098
14th 182 0142 116
13rd 200 0131 090
23rd 190 0126 085
Full 193 0143 116
CLOVE Control 0980 0138 1026
15th 0952 0097 0940
14th 1120 0109 0897
13rd 1288 0099 0898
23rd 1246 0082 1193
Full 1246 0062 1209
BANANA
23rd Full PINru Contre 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
Table 8 F
Cropl i COCO]
Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full CLOVE Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full BANAN Control 15th 14th 13rd 23rd Full
15th 14th 13rd 23rd
Full
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
--15th
--Control
090 085 116
1026 0940
1193
1209
2643 2350 2322
2A93
-+- Full
__ 213rd
13rd
-- 14th
CPCRI
23rd 2058 0143 2218 Full 2590 0173 2435 PINEAPPLE Control 0770 0261 3028 15th 0728 0257 2638 14th 0686 0235 2786 13rd 0784 0215 2436 23rd 0700 0214 2438 Full 0748 0188 2378
Table 8 Foliar nutrient content of coconut and component crops for secondary and micro nutrients
Cropl Ireatment Ca() Mg() Zn(ppm) Cu(ppm) Mn(ppm) Fe(ppm)
COCONUT
Control 040 022 2450 595 35450 23315 15th 034 019 2915 605 38675 26530 14th 035 021 2705 725 30025 14550 13rd 048 023 2180 750 25375 17505 23rd 053 020 1840 630 23250 12270 Full 053 019 1640 665 30600 12500 CLOVE Control 074 018 1150 1240 112225 21765 15th 083 018 1580 2060 101750 18240 14th 083 021 1330 1065 85725 25365 13rd 072 018 1050 490 91325 23000 23rd 066 021 11 85 445 112125 22580 Full 057 018 850 520 85250 20415 BANANA Control 049 026 2140 1010 81975 20495 15th 059 031 2635 1315 90750 73770 14th 046 029 1620 1095 67925 32735 13rd 050 030 1845 1250 78550 20020 23rd 045 032 1630 1045 91975 27590 Full 043 031 1560 760 40550 17300 PINEAPPLE Control 038 026 1165 785 14200 15250 15th 035 031 1200 785 15925 16815 14th 038 025 945 740 22625 14695 13rd 034 030 940 1225 20500 19105 23rd 037 023 570 780 17175 18990
Full 031 025 490 1010 16600 14630
c) Effect on soil nument status
Soil total N organic carbon content available P K Ca Mg and micronutrients of the
surface soil recorded higher values than the subsurface soil of coconut and component
13
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
crops The soil nutrient status under various fertilizer treatments is given in Table 9
The organic matter status declined with the increased fertilizer addition Intact in coconut
the highest organic matter content (0712) was found in the no fertilizer treatment which
declined to 0512 in the treatment full dose of fertilizers The increasing fertilizer
levels might have led to higher active root biomass production The exudates so secreted
by the roots might have led to the proliferation of microbes which would have
decomposed the organic matter leading to reduction in the organic matter content at
higher fertilizer levels The total N content in the soil increased appreciably with increasing
fertilizer levels At lower fertilizer levels the organic matter content in the soil was high
still the total N content was lower suggesting high CN ratio of the organic matter Similar
trends were observed in all the component crops except in case of pineapple where the
organic matter content was higher at higher fertilizer levels The available P and K status
of soil increased with increasing fertilizer levels in all the main as well as component
crops Thus P and K when applied to the soil have a tendency to get fixed which becomes
slowly available to the crop later on
Table 9 Soil nutrient status of the coconut based cropping system
Treatments Org Matter () Total N (ppm) Available P Available K (ppm) (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
No fertilizer 0712 265 9871 7671
One-fifth 0700 365 16173 9680
One-fourth 0702 755 16567 11724
One-third 0519 1435 22044 11236
Two-third 0523 1410 28557 16121
Full 0512 1460 34265 22960
Oove (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0736 175 4813 6271
One-fifth 0706 300 4993 7488
One-fourth 0699 345 5729 8899
One-third 0621 1360 5907 12457
Two-third 0632 1195 7625 16854
Full 0615 1280 9378 16121
Banana (Average of two depths)
No fertilizer 0741 290 2886 4201
One-fifth 0723 230 2981 7549
14
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full Pineapple
No fertilize
One -fifth
One-fourth
One-third
Two-third
Full
Coconut (A
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Oove(Aver
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
Banana
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full Pineapple
Control
15th
14th
13rd
23rd
Full
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
increasing
was high
Similar
7671
9680
11724
11236
16111
22960
6271
7488
8899
12457
16854
16121
4201
7549
CPCRI
One-fourth 0714
One-third 0563
Two-third 0598
Full 0576
Pineapple
No fertilizer 0623
One -fifth 0617
One-fourth 0599
One-third 0589
Two-third 0732
Full 0741
Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm)
Coconut (Average of three depths)
Control 9399 2372
15th 91 76 1732
14th 9907 1586
13rd 6875 1661
23rd 7644 1335
Full 7168 1296
Oove(Average of two depths)
Control 10716 1509
15th 9478 835
14th 9058 1714
13rd 10351 2543
23rd 11761 2843
Full 7532 2598
Banana (Average of three depths)
Control 8151 1759
15th 6520 1517
14th 8875 2762
13rd 9617 3139
23rd 10054 4034
Full 10130 3336
Pineapple Control 16887 3241
15th 10525 3156
14th 12194 5037
l3rd 16534 4813
23rd 13691 3465
Full 13192 2905
515
1050
1215
1250
340
280
410
530
600
620
Fe (ppm)
8699
7813
11310
8721
7829
9771
9019
10822
11518
8136
9120
10386
7680
9383
9790
8189
10345
7397
9888
9142
6045
6624
9982
10130
15
2554 9759
2915 10979
2955 16243
3281 23692
2734 2992
2103 4261
41 84 6331
4233 6575
4729 7792
5027 121 75
Cu(ppm) Zn (ppm) Mn(ppm)
067 146 3371
035 100 3549
091 204 5369
055 141 5798
065 113 4961
078 116 5129
091 148 5431
128 172 5525
087 218 6122
116 244 6615
083 159 4602
107 153 4415
087 128 3374
095 121 5665
111 156 4001
074 135 6879
081 173 8053
103 231 4762
158 257 2921
112 222 5286
095 239 5927
136 274 5825
105 243 4197
112 218 3946
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
d) Effect on microbial parameters
The distribution of soil microbial groups was investigated in the cropping system Crop
diversity and level of fertilizer inputs influenced the microbial groups in the root zone
of crops It was seen that bacterial count was low in the root-region of pineapple and control
(Table 10) whereas 23rd dose of fertilizer recorded lower number of bacteria than other
treatments in coconut The counts of fungi and actinomycetes were low in the root region
of banana and coconut Full dose of fertilizer supported very low counts of fungi and
actinomycetes Asymbiotic nitrogen fixers were more in root region of clove and pineapple
The population was maximum in l3rd dose of fertilizer treatment There was an increasing
trend from control to 13rd dose and a decreasing trend was observed from 13rd to full
dose Regarding the population of P solubilizers the population was maximum in banana
among the crops and in 13rd dose of fertilizer The microbial population decreased with
increasing depth The development of different microbial groups was optimum at moderate
doses of mineral fertilizer input viz one-third and one-fourth when combined with addition
of vermicompost produced by recycling of waste biomass
Table 10 Microbial population in coconut based cropping system
Fertilizer Actinomycetes Fungi Bacteria N - fixers Jevel (II cfulg soil) (10 cfug soil) (10~ cfug soil) (101 cfug soil)
Control 143 298 378 283 One-fifth 199 350 613 350 One-fourth 226 450 775 552 One-third 313 556 1132 690 Two-third 143 282 635 365
Full 99 258 530 250
P - solubilizers (1()4 cfug soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
Higher content of microbial biomass was recorded in root region soils of coconut and
component crops at medium levels of fertilizer inputs than full-recommended fertilizer
dose or at very low and low fertilizer treatments (Table 11) The quantity of carbon
mineralised phosphatase and dehydrogenase activities of soil also varied under different
fertilizer treatments and a decreasing trend was observed with increasing soil depth
Medium level of fertilizer inputs along with recycling of waste biomass resulted in the
development of congenial conditions for higher level of microbial activity in the cropping
system
16
Table 11
Crop
Coconut
PineapplE
Clove
Banana
e) Raint
of
for
of aUVULJ
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
g soil)
160 214 241 317 158
125
CPCRI
Table U Microbiological parameters recorded in the coconut based cropping system
Crop 1keatment MIcrobial blOllUll8 C miniMtlon Phoephata8e DehydJOpnase
(JIamp g aoil) (PI CI g aoil) adtrity
(PI p1IitropheDol 111Oilh)
ltPI fonDuan I g aoill h)
Coconut Control 36355 3825 3268 1290
15th 29035 3778 4081 1487
14th 44787 3904 3954 1893
13rd 39353 3831 4074 1485
23rd 411 34 3671 3585 1471
Full 42191 2941 4582 1280
Pineapple Control 6412 2276 3116 1261
15th 6878 2608 3798 1725
14th 8608 2512 4331 1780
13rd 5148 2045 3910 1610
23rd 7632 1994 3442 1244
Full 6721 2010 4595 1202
Clove Control 30641 4175 2425 1306
15th 32054 3861 4637 1512
14th 45863 4563 5006 1960
13rd 30680 3526 3882 1436
23rd 34265 A168 4482 1422
Full 33078 4209 4607 1261
Banana Control 23132 3247 3598 1514
15th 26836 2779 3993 1938
14th 37036 3760 4146 1948
l3rd 31007 3206 4913 1886
23rd 33367 3036 3975 1754
Full 27396 3011 4765 1489
e) Rainfall Partitioning
For measuring throughfall 7 raingauges were equally distributed under the canopy
of coconut and for clove throughfall measurement 3 raingauges were kept under the
canopy These raingauges were made up of 75 cm diameter funnel and a 25 dm3 plastic
glass container The gross rainfall measurements were taken from the Institute weather
station Throughfall gauges were randomly relocated at weekly interval Steep angle
funnels were used to minimise any splash out from the gauges during rainstorms and
with the funnel of each gauge about 05 m above the ground there was little opportunity
for water to splash in after hitting the floor Observation of the height to which soil particles
had been deposited on the sides of a standing board showed a maximum splash height
of about 03 m ________________________ 17 ________________________
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
Stemflow from 4 coconut and two clove trees was measured by halved polyvinyl sheet
tubing (5 cm wide) which was stapled and sealed with caulking around the circumference
of each tree with the ending in a collection container (Fig 6) The equivalent depth of
stemflow was derived by employing the following area per tree equation
Figure 6 ThVughfoll and StemJlow studies in HDMSCS in the clove
SF = SFVolA
where SF is the estimated stemflow (mm) for a given canopy cover area (A) in m 2 and
SFVol is the stemflow volume of the representative trees (litres)
The canopy storage capacity was determined by a plot of throughfall versus gross
rainfall for day with a depth great enough to saturate the canopy (assumed to be gt 3
mm) Canopy storage capacity of coconut was 18 mm and throughfall was 85 to 90
of the gross rainfall Canopy storage capacity of clove was 28 mm and throughfall
was 34 to 62 of the gross rainfall (Fig 7)
18
The
(Fig
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
vinyl sheet
umference
lt depth of
CPCRI
y= 06238x - 28963 150
100
E Eshyjsect c Q I oe c
20
-50 ~------------------------------------------------~
R =08946 bull
501------------------4 ~~~r_--------------------------~
Gross Ralnfall(mm)
Figure 7 Callopy storage capacity
The trunk storage capacity was determined by a plot of stemflow versus gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of coconut was 35 rnrn and stemflow was 57 of the gross rainfall
Trunk storage capacity of clove was 011 mm and stemflow was 11 of the gross rainfall
(Fig 8)
y =05741x -3573 60
R 2 =0913 50
40
E 30E
I 20 c E ~ 10 en
o
-10
Gross rainfall(mm)
Figure 8 COCOIlU trullk storoge capacity
19
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
f) Light interception in HDMSCS
The per cent light transmitted by the different canopies of the coconut based cropping
system experiment showed that 267 of the incident light is available for the under
story intercrop (Fig 9)
80
70
60
1 CIgt 50tmiddote 11 40c 11 30amp
~ ~ 0 20
10
0 0
~Coconut
Pepper
--- Banana
5 10 15
Hours
20
Figure 9 Light interception in coconut based cropping system
g) Root disbibution
The distribution of roots quantified by sampling with 75 cm (internal diameter) by
125 cm long cores For each tree in 50 cm 100 cm and 150 cm away from the trunk upto
100 cm depth were taken Root weight was highest in the control treatment 527
kg m-3bull The higher root dry matter weight was in the 25 -50 layer and in the control plot
(Fig 10 amp 11 )
20
18
16
e 14 E C 12 II amp Cl
Qj
~ 08 0 0a
06
04
02
eE C II amp Clmiddotiii ~ (5 oa
35
25
15
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
cropping
20
II diameter) by
the trunk upto
reatment 527
he control plot
18
16
E 14
~ ~ 12 -s CI
i o 08 o Il
06
04
02
CPCRI
- 23rd 13rd
- Full - Control
04-------------------~------------------~----------------~
4
35
3
E 25E
c ~-s 2 CI iii ~ 15 -0 0 Il
05
0
0-25 25-50
depth (cm)
Figure 10 Coconut root distribution il1 sOlllflyers
4---------------~-------------------------~
50-100
- 23rd - Full
13rd - Control
0 50 100 150 200
Distance (cm)
Figure 11 Coconut root distribution fltoflyfrom free bflse
21
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management in Coconut Based Cropping System
4 Yield relationship function of coconut
In the experiment there is no factorial combination of the fertilizer treatment the NPK
recommended dose is taken as one and other treatments were also transformed accordingly
The quadratic response fitted showed significant correlation coefficient (Fig 12) The optimum
fertilizer requirement worked out to be 359 g N 229 g PPs-and 860 g ~O per palm per year
which gave the nut yield of 1517 nutsyear
2 y= -5819x + 83458x+ 12185
2 R =09938
160
150 - ~ 140ca
~ E 130 ii Q V Iii 120 J z
110
100 I I
o 05 15
Fertilizer level
Figure 12 Ferftliser responsejunction for coconut
5 Economics and employment generation
The total cost involved in maintaining the system under various fertilizer doses ranged
from Rs 48983 (No fertilizer dose) to 56973 (Full dose) The net returns were highest
in the treatment two third of the recommended fertilizer dose (Rs 63579-) with a cost
benefit ratio of 1 218 (Table 12)
__ 22 _________
Table 12
Full do
23rd I
13rd I
14th r
15th r
No fer
Emplo
The
be ver]
stabili2
croppil
hayea
system
family
raised
6 Cc
Inte
along
of the
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
the NPK
ordingly
optimum
per year
ranged
CPCRI
Table 12 Economics of the INM in coconut based cropping system (Mean of six years)
lieabnent Cost cultivation GIOI8 Retams Net Returns BC Ratio (RsJha) (RsJha) (RsJha)
Full dose 56973 117204 60230 205
23rd ree dose 53649 117228 63579 218
13rd rec dose 50324 109119 58795 216
14th rec dose 49989 106832 56843 213
15th rec dose 49787 100351 50563 201
No fert- Control 48983 93015 44032 189
Employment generation
The employment potential of the coconut based cropping system is observed to
be very high The labour input utilization of irrigated monocrop of coconut(at its
stabilized yield stage) is 144 man dayshayear The labour utilization in the coconut
cropping system with clove banana pineapple and black pepper was 332 man days
hayear In percentage term the increase was about 130 per cent over the sole crop
system Since it is expected that the bulk of the labour force is available from the
family source of the farmer family labour income could therefore be considerably
raised when coconut based cropping system was adopted
6 Conclusion
Integrated nutrient management by using 23rd recommended fertilizer dose
along with recycling of biomass by vermicomposting gives the best economic benefit
in a sustainable manner INM on coconut based cropping system demostarted model
to the farmer to integrate nutrient management in a cropping system The system
is more sustainable and production and productivity will increase without affecting
the ecosystem There is a positive impact through improvement of soil health by
recycling of waste products in the system as organic manures Further it will be ecoshy
friendly with nature which will enable to increase the production and productivity
of the system
23
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
Integrated Nutrient Management In Coconut Based Cropping System
References
Liyanage LVK 1985 Rationale for intercropping Coconut Bulletin 2 31-34
Margate RZ Maravilla JN Ebuna RM and Eroy M N 1994 Response of coconut and coffee
to fertilizers applied either or both crops in an intercropping system CORD X(2) 41-61
Oelsligle DD McCollum RE and Kang BT 1976 Soil fertility management in tropical multiple
cropping In Multiple Cropping Papendick RI Sanchez PA and Triplett GB (Eds) American
Society of Agronomy Special Publication 27275-292
Pillai NG 1975 Studies on mineral nutrition of coconut palm with special reference to the root
(wilt) disease PhD Thesis University of Keral Trivandrum
Tandon H L S 1990 Integrated nutrient management for sustainable agriculture In Proceedings
ojthe International Symposium on Natural Resources Management for a Sustainable Agriculture (RP
Singh Ed) Vol I 6th_10th February 1990 New Delhi pp 203-222
24
bull
bull