Enhancing Cotton yield and profitability with potassium releasing biofertilizers

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Lam, Guntur during kharif, 2023, to study the effect of potassium fertilizer doses and potassium releasing bacteria (KRB) on the growth, yield and economics of cotton (Gossypium
hirsutum L.). The experiment was laidout in a randomized block design with ten treatments replicated thrice. The treatments include control (T1); RDF (T2); RDNP (T3); KRB (T4); RDF + KRB (T5); RDF +KNO3 1% (FA) at 60 DAS (T6); 75% RDK + KRB (T7); 75% RDK + KRB + KNO3 @ 1% (FA) at 60 DAS (T8); 50% RDK + KRB (T9) and 50% RDK + KRB + KNO3 @ 1% (FA) at 60 DAS (T10). The results revealed that the application of RDF + KRB + KNO3 1% (FA) at 60 DAS significantly influenced the yield parameters of the crop over rest of the treatments and found on a par with RDF + KRB. Whereas higher net returns and BCR (Rs. 1, 26, 711 ha-1 and 2.54, respectively) were
observed with RDF + KRB.