Influence of Organic Modules on Productivity, Plant Protection and Soil Bio-Chemical Properties in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Production Systems

Abstract

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an important pulse crop, and sustainable management requires simultaneous consideration of productivity, crop protection, and soil quality. Lentil is grown throughout northern and central India mainly for its grains, which are used for traditional Dal as well as other culinary preparations. Pulses are considered among the cheapest sources of protein and, therefore, play a significant role in improving nutrition at both the individual and national levels. Considering the importance of the crop, a field trial was initiated to study the effects of organic treatments on lentil growth, disease and insect-pest management, soil physical properties, and microbial populations. The trial comprised four treatments with six replications. Among the treatments, T3 with the full Package of Practices was the most effective in reducing Fusarium wilt disease incidence (16.39 %), with a 51.32 percent disease reduction over the absolute control (T4), followed by T2 (Module II) (seed inoculation with Trichoderma viride based biopesticide (Biogreen-5) @ 10 g kg-1 and biofertilizer (Rhizobium based consortia @ 50g kg-1, soil application of vermicompost @ 1 t ha-1 + rock phosphate @ 30 kg ha-1, need-based foliar spray of NSKE @ 5%, installation of bird perch @ 40 nos. ha-1 and yellow sticky trap (0.3 m x 0.2 m) @ 20 nos. ha-1) with 19.17 % disease incidence (43.07 % disease reduction over the absolute control). The aphid population per plant was lowest under the Package of Practices (12.95), followed by M II (18.33) and M I (19.33). The highest seed yield was recorded in T3 (10.20 q ha-1), followed by T2 (9.58 q ha-1) and T1 (8.04 q ha-1), respectively. The study of soil pH, organic carbon (%), available N, P2O5 and K2O (kg ha-1) showed an increasing trend over the last six years (2017 to 2023). There was also a gradual increase in fungal, bacterial and actinomycete populations over the years with the application of FYM and vermicompost.