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Nitrogen management in mulberry
Mulberry is one of the most important commercial crops grown extensively as food plant for silkworm. In India, mulberry is cultivated in about three lakh hectares in different agro climatic conditions varying from temperate to tropical.
Irrigated and rainfed mulberry crops require 300 to 100 kg of nitrogen/hectare/year besides organic manure of 20 and 10 tonnes/hectare/year.
Alternative strategies
High cost of nitrogen fertilizer coupled with high labour input for its split applications, especially under irrigated conditions warrant adoption of alternative strategies to reduce the cost of production.
Excessive use of nitrogen leads to hazards such as pollution of ground water and disease incidence in human beings. Nitrogen use efficiency has to be increased by adopting the following practices:
Use of high yielding and nitrogen efficient cultivars, application of right amount of fertilizer, Mixing of fertilizer into the soil, keeping the field free from weeds and controlling diseases and insects.
Organic wastes are also a valuable source of energy if properly processed and converted. The slurry used for biogas production has enriched nutrient contents.
Biogas slurry
The use of biogas slurry with chemical fertilizers is one of the major steps of integrated nutrient management for sustainable production in mulberry.
In situ cultivation of green manures improves soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, controls soil erosion in sloppy areas and charges the soil with carbon.
Green manuring is an integral part of nitrogen management in mulberry as it helps to reduce nitrogen doses.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria azospirillum also plays a key role in integrated nitrogen management. Inoculation with Azospirillum increases the number, length and weight of mulberry roots.
K.A. Murugesh
& R. Krishnan
Department of Sericulture
Tamil Nadu Agricultural
Univeristy, Coimbatore
Tamil Nadu
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