Synergistic Effects of Organic Manures, Biofertilizers and Biocontrol Agents on the Growth and Yield of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) var. Salem

Aim: Impact of the organic manures, Arka Microbial Consortium and biocontrol agents on the growth and yield of the Salem variety of turmeric. Study Design: This experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with factorial concept (FRBD). Place and Duration of Study: The current experiment was conducted at College of Horticulture, Rajendranagar, during Kharif, 2021-22. Methodology: To investigate the effect of various combinations of organic manures, Arka Microbial Consortium (AMC), and biocontrol agents on the growth and yield characteristics of turmeric. Results: The study evaluated various treatments and biocontrol agents on plant growth and rhizome yield. Treatment M4, which combined vermicompost + Arka microbial consortium (AMC) + vertical splitting of mother rhizomes of the Salem variety, resulted in the maximum plant height and leaf area. Conversely, treatment M3 - Farmyard manure (FYM) + AMC + vertical split of mother rhizome of Salem variety, yielded the greatest number of tillers and leaves per plant, as well as maximum weights for various rhizome parameters. Among biocontrol agents, B1- the combination of Trichoderma viride and Bacillus thuringiensis recorded superior plant height, tiller count, leaf number, and rhizome weights. Specifically, the M4B1 interaction, integrating both M4 treatment and biocontrol agents, led to the maximum plant height and leaf area, while the M3B1 interaction achieved the highest number of tillers and overall rhizome yield parameters. Conclusion: The treatment M3B1 – First best treatment of second experiment [(FYM 45t ha-1 + AMC (Arka microbial consortium) 1 l q-1 manure + first best treatment of first experiment (vertical split of mother rhizome of Salem variety)] + Trichoderma viride (5 kg ha-1) + Bacillus thuringiensis (750 g ha-1) has recorded the best results in terms of growth and yield parameters.