Economic Analysis of Effect of NPK Levels, Organic Manures and Biofertilizer on Cultivation of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Under Chironji (Buchanania Lanzan Spreng.) Based Agroforestry System

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at the Forestry Nursery and Research Centre, College of Forestry, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, to evaluate how varying levels of NPK fertilizers, organic manures, and biofertilizers influence the growth and yield of wheat cultivated within a Chironji-based agroforestry system. The experiment employed wheat variety DBW 187 following a randomized block design with three replications, encompassing thirteen treatment combinations. These included inorganic NPK fertilizers, organic amendments such as farmyard manure, vermicompost, and poultry manure, along with the biofertilizer Azotobacter, each applied at 75%, 50%, and 25% substitution levels. Findings revealed that a combined application of 75% NPK supplemented with 25% vermicompost produced the most favourable outcomes across both pre- and post-harvest parameters. Notable improvements were observed in plant height, tiller count, and leaf length during the growing phase, while post-harvest assessments demonstrated superior panicle length, grain count per panicle, test weight, grain yield, straw yield, and harvest index. Economic evaluation further confirmed that this treatment combination yielded the highest benefit-to-cost ratio, establishing it as the most financially viable option. The study concludes that partially substituting synthetic fertilizers with organic inputs, particularly vermicompost combined with biofertilizers, holds considerable promise for enhancing both the productivity and economic sustainability of wheat cultivation in Chironji-based agroforestry systems.