Effect of integrated nutrient management on cabbage production in dry temperate region of Himachal Pradesh

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) is one of the most important winter vegetable crops in India. It is grown in almost every household in Kinnaur district-a dry temperate region of Himachal Pradesh. It is grown as an off-season vegetable during summer in the district. Farmers get good price of their produce due to off-seasonality. To study the effect of integrated nutrient management on cabbage production, experiment was conducted during the year 2017-18. Total five trials were laid out at farmer’s field to compare three treatments, T1was farmers’ practice consisting of use of FYM only and T2 , use of FYM and recommended fertilizer dose whereas T3 was use of FYM and recommended doses of fertilizers + seedling treatment with Azotobacter. It was found that use of FYM and recommended doses of fertilizers + seedling treatment with Azotobacter recorded maximum yield of 22.45 t/ha. T3 also recorded the highest net return (Rs.3,59,819/ha) and benefit cost ratio (4.03) in comparison to recommended and farmers’ practice.