Effects of Reduced Inorganic NPK Combined with Farmyard Manure, NPK-Consortia, and Nano-P on Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The study, conducted at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra experimental farm, Ghazipur, during the Kharif seasons of 2023 and 2024, evaluated the effects of integrated nutrient management on the growth, nutrient content, grain yield, and agronomic efficiency of rice cultivar 27P37. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was carried out on an Inceptisol with low organic carbon and available nitrogen and potassium, to assess reduced inorganic fertiliser use combined with organic and biological inputs. Nine nutrient management treatments were evaluated in a randomised block design with three replications. The treatments consisted of an absolute control (T1), 100% inorganic NPK (T2), and 75% NPK combined with farmyard manure (FYM), NPK-Consortia seed treatment, and Nano-P, applied separately or in various combinations (T3–T9). FYM was incorporated into the soil 15 days before transplanting, and basal inorganic fertilisers were placed before final puddling. Plant growth, grain and straw nutrient concentrations, grain yield, and agronomic efficiency were evaluated. The treatment data were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Nutrient management treatments significantly influenced the measured crop responses. Treatment T9 (75% NPK + 5 t/ha FYM + NPK-Consortia + Nano-P) recorded the highest plant height at harvest (115.40 cm), tiller number at 90 days after transplanting (404.50 m⁻²), and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentrations in both grain and straw. T9 also produced the highest grain yield (7,040 kg/ha) and agronomic efficiency (21.88 kg grain per kg of applied inorganic nutrient), compared with 4,310 kg/ha under 100% NPK and 3,430 kg/ha in the control. These findings indicate that combining FYM, NPK-Consortia, and Nano-P with 75% of the recommended inorganic NPK dose improved rice performance under the conditions of this study.