Balanced fertilization for yield maximization, profitability and quality of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) in North Western Himalayas

Indian mustard is one of the major oilseed crops of the country. The productivity of this crop is quite low compared to the rapeseed mustard crops in some other countries, such as Canada and Germany. One of the major reasons for lower productivity is the lack of balanced nutrition in many parts of the country. Sulphur (S), boron (B) and zinc (Zn) play an important role in the metabolism of Rapeseed mustard crops. A field experiment was conducted at Research Farm, SKUAST-Jammu in 2022 and 2023, to investigate the influence of different fertility levels with macro and micro nutrients on productivity, profitability and quality of Indian mustard. The treatment consisted of four fertility levels containing N:P2O5:K2Odoses viz., F1-control, F2- 80:40:20 kg ha-1 , F3- 100:50:25 kg ha-1and F4- 120:60:30 kg ha-1 respectively in main plots and four macro and micronutrient treatments namely, N1- 20 kg S+2.5 kg Zn + 0.5 kg B, N2- 40 kg S+ 5.0 kg Zn +1.0 kg B, N3- N1 + 500 kg FYM ha-1 , N4-N2 + 500 kg FYM ha-1 in sub plots, which were laid out in split-plot design and replicated thrice. The results revealed that the application of N:P2O5:K2O at 120:60:30 kg ha-1 in combination with 40 kg S+ 5.0 kg Zn +1.0 kg ha-1 B enriched with 500 kg FYM ha-1 recorded a significant increase in seed and oil yield along with yield attributes, nutrient uptake, soil microbial population, net returns and B:C ratio of Indian mustard than other treatments in comparison. A significant positive correlation was noted between seed yield and nutrient uptake.