Amelioration of zinc deficiency in blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) through soil applied zinc in Typic Haplustepts soil of Rajasthan

Aim: To study the amelioration of zinc deficiency in blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) through soil applied zinc in Typic Haplustepts soil of Rajasthan. Methodology: A two year field experiment was undertaken during Kharif 2016 and 2017 at Instructional Farm (Agronomy), Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur, Rajasthan. The treatments comprised application of Zn to soil @ 3 kg Zn ha(-1), 4 kg Zn ha(-1), 5 kg Zn ha(-1) and 6 kg Zn ha(-1). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with four replications. Results: Application of zinc significantly (P=0.05) increased the number of nodules per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, seed yield, haulm yield, biological yield, nutrient (N, P, K & Zn) content and uptake, protein content, net return and B:C ratio in blackgram. Soil application of Zn@5 kg ha(-1) significantly increased seed yield, haulm yield and biological yield by 72.53, 50.08 and 57.68 per cent over the control in pooled analysis, respectively. However, the effect of application of Zn@5 kg ha(-1) on yield attributes, yield, nutrient content, uptake, quality and economics of blackgram was found statistically at par with the application of 6 kg Zn ha(-1). Interpretation: The application of Zn@ 5 kg ha(-1) along with the recommended dose of fertilizer (NPK) resulted in significantly (P=0.05) higher productivity, nutrient uptake, quality and profitability of blackgram under Typic Haplustepts soil of Rajasthan.