Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, productivity and quality of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

A field experiment was conducted during 2007–08 at Nagla, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, to find out effect of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients on growth, productivity and quality of sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolar (L.) Moench] forage crop. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design consisting total 12 treatments with 4 replications. Treatments comprised control, recommended dose of NPK through inorganic source and different combinations of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients. Application of 75% dose of recommended nitrogen through inorganic sources + 25% through vermicompost significantly improved the growth, productivity and fodder quality over the control. The highest total green fodder yield (52.8 t/ha), dry-matter yield (13.5 t/ha), total crude protein yield (0.92 t/ha), digestible dry-matter yield (6.6 t/ha), juice yield (9,910 kilo litre/ha), sugar yield (0.91 t/ha) and calculated ethanol yield (2,762 kilo litre/ha) was recorded with application of 75% recommended dose of N through inorganic sources + 25% through vermicompost during both the years. Fodder quality parameters like juice percentage (26.2), dry-matter content (25.6%), digestibility (48.7%) and neutral detergent fibre content (61%) were also highest with this treatment. Available nitrogen and phosphorus content did not vary significantly at harvesting of crop due to different treatments.