Impact of Molybdenum Application on Yield, Quality and Profitability of Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis L.) in an Acid Alfisol Soil

A field experiment was laid out to evaluate the impact of molybdenum application on the yield, quality, and profitability of cauliflower. The experiment comprised of eleven treatments i.e., T₁ =NPK (control), T₂ =NPK + FYM (RDF), T₃ =NPK + Lime, T₄ =NPK + Lime + FYM, T₅ =RDF + Mo at recommended rate @ 1 kg ha⁻¹ (soil), T₆ =RDF + Mo at 1.5 times the recommended rate @ 1.5 kg ha⁻¹ (soil), T₇ =RDF + Mo at recommended rate @ 0.1% (foliar sprays), T₈ =RDF + Mo at 1.5 times the recommended rate @ 0.15% (foliar sprays), T₉ =RDF along with Mo @ 1 kg ha⁻¹ (soil) and @ 0.1% as foliar sprays, T₁₀ =RDF along with Mo @ 1 kg ha⁻¹ (soil) and @ 0.15% as foliar sprays, and T₁₁ =Subhash Palekar's Natural Farming (SPNF). Mo @ 1 The highest curd yield (20.7 t ha⁻¹) was recorded in T₁₀, where NPK was applied along with FYM and kg ha⁻¹ (soil) + @ 0.15% (foliar) -1 with a 29.1 per cent increase over treatment T₂. The same treatment enhanced the ascorbic acid (77.8 mg 100g⁻¹), curd solidity (46.25 g cm⁻¹), and total soluble solids (8.4° Brix) and also resulted in higher net-returns ( 3,10,260 ha⁻¹) and benefit-cost ratio (3.99). Mo application positively influenced the cauliflower production in an acid Alfisols. However, the conjoint application of Mo (basal and foliar) proved its superiority in enhancing the productivity and profitability of cauliflower compared to their respective sole application.