Abstract

                                Field experiments were conducted at Sardarkrushinagar during Rabi 2006-07 and 2007-08 to find out optimum levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and bio-fertilizer. The experiment comprising of sixteen treatment combinations with two levels each of nitrogen (10 and 20 kg N / ha) and phosphorus (20 and 40 kg P 2 O 5 / ha) as well as four levels of bio-fertilizer (control, inoculation of seed with Rhizobium, inoculation of seed with PSB and inoculation of seed with Rhizobium +PSB) was laid in factorial randomised block design with three replications. Results revealed that increasing levels of N and P 2 O5 significantly increased yield attributes, yield, net return and BCR over their respective lower levels. Inoculation of seed with Rhizobium and PSB resulted in the higher pod length (12.2 cm), number of pods per plant (27.95), number of seeds per pod (14.27), 1000-seed weight (12.02 g) and seed yield per plant (5.56 g). Seed (1366 kg /ha), straw (2802 kg /ha) and biological yield (4169 kg /ha) as well as gross return (Rs. 45871/ ha), net return (Rs.25,289/ha) and BCR (1.23) were the highest with inoculation of seed by Rhizobium and PSB followed by seed inoculation with Rhizobium only.

Key words : BCR, fenugreek, gross return, net return, yield