Direct and residual effect of integrated nutrient management on garden pea (Pisum sativum) based crop sequence in Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh

A field experiment was conducted on a sandy loam soil of Kukumseri (Lahaul & Spiti) on integrated nutrient management in garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) under dry temperate high hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh for the two consecutive summer seasons of 2006 and 2007. All six combinations of two crop sequences [Pea-Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and Pea-Sarson (Brassica rapa var. brown sarson)] and three sources of organic fertilizer (FYM @ 5 t/ha, Rhizobium inoculation (RI) @ 200 g/10 kg seed and FYM @ 2.5 t/ha + Rhizobium) as main plot treatments and three levels of chemical fertilizers (50%, 100% and 150% of recommended NPK i.e. 20:60:30 kg N, P₂O₅ and K₂O/ha, respectively) as sub-plot treatments were evaluated in a split plot design. The highest green pod yield of garden pea was obtained with an application of FYM 2.5 t/ha + Rhizobium in integration with 150% of recommended NPK through chemical fertilizers. However, from the view point of economics for the cropping systems (garden pea - buck wheat and garden pea-sarson) as a whole, combined use of FYM + Rhizobium (RI) along with 100% of recommended NPK was found to be as good as FYM + RI along with 150 kg N/ha NPK.