Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to enhance rice yield in sodic soil through application of gypsum with organic amendments during rabi season of 2016–17 at Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Treatments are control, gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation, gypsum @ 25% GR + dhaincha incorporation + distillery yeast sludge @ 5 t/ha, gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + distillery yeast sludge @ 5 t/ha, gypsum @ 25% GR + dhaincha incorporation + sugarcane trash compost @ 10 t/ha, gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + sugarcane trash compost @ 10 t/ha, gypsum @ 25% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha, gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha, gypsum @ 25% GR + dhaincha incorporation + pressmud @ 10 t/ha and gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation+ pressmud @ 10 t/ha. Productive tillers, filled grains/panicle, unfilled grains/panicle, panicle length, fertility percentage and 1000-grain weight were higher with application of gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha. Application of gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha produced higher grain yield (5683 kg/ha) and registered yield increase ranging from 13.0 to 38.9% over the other treatments. Post-harvest soil available N, P, K, micronutrients, pH and ESP were higher with application of gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha. Higher net returns of Rs. 56, 349/ha with B: C ratio of 2.41 were realized in application of gypsum @ 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha followed by application of gypsum @ 25% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha. In terms of yield enhancement and monetary returns, application of gypsum @ 25 or 50% GR + dhaincha incorporation + poultry manure @ 5 t/ha was superior over other organic amendments under sodic soil conditions.