Srishti Singh Parihar, Ph.D, Final year, Department of Vegetable Science, 
Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C. G.)
Dr. Subuhi Nishad, Programme Officer NSS (Girls Unit), 
College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur (C.G.)


Introduction
The agriculture era has been changed from resource degrading to resource conserving technologies and practices which will enable help for increasing crop productivity besides maintaining soil health for future generations. Green revolution besides achieving food security imposes several threats like deterioration of the soil organic carbon stock, decreasing factor productivity, imbalances in NPK and micronutrient use and disparity in fertilizer consumptions etc. The Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) provides an excellent opportunity not only for sustainable soil but enhancing crop productivity also. The INM is the maintenance or adjustment of soil fertility and plant nutrient supply to an optimum level for sustaining the desired crop production through optimization of the benefits from all possible sources of plant nutrients in an integrated manner.

Now a day, in different countries various challenges are facing in respect to provide chemical free food for the growing population. Due to continuous and liberal use of synthetic fertilizers quality of vegetable produce is decline day by day. The indiscriminate use of synthetic fertilizers reduces soil fertility, kill the beneficial micro-organisms and more over these chemicals interfere in our ecosystem and also a health hazard for human beings (Diacono and Montemurro, 2010). Different pesticides are spray over the plants and when people consumed fruits and salad these chemicals are directly enter into the food chain which causes numerous diseases like, cancer, asthmatic problems, skin allergies etc. At present, there is a need to devise alternate ways to use biofertilizers like Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Acetobacter, Rhizobium, Azolla, Blue-green algae and Phosphate solubilizing bacteria to enrich the fertility status of the soil.

Awareness programmes about integrated nutrient management in vegetables through the Demonstration among farmers.

What is Integrated Nutrient Management?
Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) is the process to maintain the soil fertility and plant nutrient supply at an optimum level for sustaining the desired crop productivity. The aim of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) is to integrate the use of natural and man-made soil nutrients to increase crop productivity and preserve soil productivity for future generations.

Components of INM

1. Organic Manure- It is natural fertilizer, which are alternative for chemical fertilizers that are utilized for improve nutrient status of soil as well as promote healthy vegetable development. It is derivative as of natural source such as mammal waste, crop materials, and compost.

A. Farm yard manure: It is also known as FYM, is a valuable organic fertilizer that is commonly used in agriculture. It is made up of decomposed animal waste, such as cow dung, along with straw and other organic materials.

B. Compost: Organic compost is a valuable resource for gardeners and farmers alike. It is a natural fertilizer that is made from decomposed organic matter, such as food scraps, yard waste, and manure. It is a simple with cost-effective method to reprocess these materials and turn them into nutrient-rich soil.

C. Vermicompost: Vermicompost, also known as worm compost, is a natural and sustainable method for reprocess natural material. This process involves the use of earthworms to break down organic materials such as food scraps, yard waste, and paper into a dark, crumbly substance called vermicompost. Vermicompost is developed using earthworm. The earthworms consume organic matter and excrete it as a cast. This cast is used as vermicompost.

D. Green manure: Some crops are twisted into soil while still they are green for restore fertility and productivity it is recognized as green manuring. Leguminosae group crops are generally used for green manuring. These crops being capable of nitrogen fixing, add nitrogen in the soil

Table 1: Green manure crops and their N fixation capacity

Sr. No.

Green manure crops

Botanical name

‘N’ fixation capacity per ha.

1

Sunhemp

Crotalaria juncea

134 kg

2

Daincha

Sesbania aculeate

133 kg

3

Manila Agathi

Sesbania rostrata

96 kg

4

Cluster bean

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba

91 kg

5

Cow pea

Vigna unguiculata

74 kg

1. Biofertilizers- Biofertilizers are substances that contain living microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, and algae, which improve nutrient accessibility to the plants. Unlike chemical fertilizers, which provide nutrients directly to plants, biofertilizers work by improving soil health and promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms. These microorganisms, in turn, help in the decomposition of organic matter, fix atmospheric nitrogen, solubilize phosphorus, and enhance nutrient absorption by plants.

Classes of biofertilizers: In vegetable crops many types of biofertilizers are use, each with its specific benefits. Some common types include:

A. Nitrogen-Fixing Biofertilizers- These biofertilizers contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium and Azotobacter, which convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can utilize. This helps in reducing the dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, which are energy-intensive to produce and can cause environmental pollution.

B. Phosphate-Solubilizing Biofertilizers- These biofertilizers contain phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, such as Bacillus and Pseudomonas, which release bound phosphorus from the soil, making it available for plant uptake. This is particularly beneficial in soils with low phosphorus availability, reducing the need for phosphorus-based chemical fertilizers.

C. Potash-Mobilizing Biofertilizers- These biofertilizers contain potash-mobilizing bacteria, such as Bacillus and Pseudomonas, which enhance the availability of potassium in the soil. Potassium is an essential nutrient for vegetable crops, promoting overall growth, yield, and disease resistance.

Table 2: Potential of different Bio-fertilzers

Sl. No.

Bio-fertilizer

N/P

contribution

(Kg./ha.)

P.C.

increased in

Crop yield

1.

Rhizobium with legume crops

50-300

10-60

2.

Azotobacter

15-25

10-20

3.

Azospirillum

 20-35

20-35

4.

Blue green algae

20-30

10-20

5.

Azolla

25-35

15-35

6.

Phosphatika

10-15

10-25

7.

VAMF (Vasicular Arbuscular Mycorhizal Fungi)

10-40

10-55


1. Inorganic fertilizers- It is a chemical substance which is manufactured artificially. Fertilizer is a rich source of nutrient and applied in crop production to supply a particular nutrient in which soil is deficient. It is very quick in releasing the nutrients and help in early establishment and development of plants. There are mainly three types of fertilizers-

A. Nitrogenous fertilizers- Such types of fertilizers contains only nitrogen. Nitrogen may be found in nitrate (NO3) or ammonical form (NO4). e.g. Urea, Ammonium sulphate, Ammonium nitrate.

B. Phosphatic fertilizers- Such fertilizers contains only phosphorus. e.g. Single super phosphate, double super phosphate, Triple super phosphate.

C. Potassic fertilizers- Potash is required in relatively larger amount than any other nutrients excepting nitrogen. Potash is supplied to the plants using potassic fertilizers. e.g. Potassium chloride (MOP), Potassium sulphate (SOP).

Table 3: list of chemicals & manures and their nutrient content information to farmers

S. NO.

Organic inputs

N (%)

P (%)

K (%)

OC (%)

1.

Vermicompost

1.63

1.26

0.34

12.01

2.

Compost

1.87

1.18

0.23

24.48

3.

Groundnut Cake

3.71

0.86

0.69

40.78

4.

Mustard Oil Cake

5.21

1.38

0.65

41.39

5.

Rice Bran

3.54

0.78

0.65

37.46

6.

Bone Meal

6.56

1.08

1.17

-

7.

Kusum Cake

3.11

1.71

0.49

-

8.

Til Cake

3.33

0.55

0.22

35.51

9.

Karanj Cake

3.86

0.62

0.41

43.87

10.

Neem Cake

1.40

0.22

0.99

43.36

11.

FYM

0.5

0.2

0.5

-

Inorganic inputs

 

12.

Urea

46

-

-

-

13.

Ammonium sulphate

20.6

-

-

-

14.

Calcium ammonium nitrate

26

-

-

-

15.

Single super phosphate

-

16

-

-

16.

Di ammonium phosphate

18

46

-

-

17.

        Potassium sulphate

-

-

48

-


Effect of INM in vegetable crops

Solanaceous Vegetables
Chopra et al. (2017) observed maximum plant height, root length, dry weight, chlorophyll content, LAI, number of flowers per plant, fruits per plant, crop yield per plant, and biochemical ingredient like crude protein, dietary fiber, total carbohydrates and total sugar of tomato was recorded with 50% RDF + 5 t ha-1ARV (Agro Residue Vermicompost). Singh et al. (2015) revealed that the plants treated with 50% RDF + 10 t ha-1 FYM + 5 t ha-1 poultry manure + biofertilizer showed maximum number of leaves per plant, fruits per plant, fruit length, mean fruit weight, yield per plant, yield per plot and ascorbic acid content in tomato.

Cucurbitaceous Vegetables
In bottle gourd, application of 50% NPK + 25% Vermicompost + 25% Compost recorded superior for red pumpkin beetle population and powdery mildew with highest B:C and total soluble solids which revealed by Tomar et al. (2022). Another field experiment on bottle gourd was conducted by Patle et al. (2018) and they revealed that soil application of 50% RDF (50:25:25 NPK kg ha-1) + 2.5 t ha-1 FYM + 1.65 t ha-1 vermicompost and Azotobacter, PSB each 5 kg ha-1 to the crop found to be sound integrated practice, where it recorded maximum vine length, length of inter node, number of female flowers, fruit set percent, yield per vine and yield per hectare.

Cruciferous Vegetables
Chaudhari et al. (2023) in cauliflower, they studied that the applications of 100% RDF + Azospirillium (5 l ha-1) + PSB (5 l ha-1) + KMB (5 l ha-1) recorded maximum plant height, stalk length, number of leaves plant-1, N-S plant spread, E-W plant spread, curd diameter, gross weight of curd, net weight of curd, yield plot-1 and total yield. Tekasangla et al. (2015) evaluated that application of 50% NPK + 50% FYM + bio-fertilizers gave maximum plant height, stalk length, number of leaves plant-1 and plant spread in cauliflower.

Conclusion
Integrated Nutrient Management has emerged as a promising approach in vegetable crop production. Its advantages, such as improved nutrient use efficiency, enhanced soil health, reduced environmental pollution, and improved crop quality and nutrition, make it a sustainable and beneficial practice for farmers. By adopting INM, farmers can optimize nutrient management, reduce input costs, and contribute to the overall sustainability of vegetable crop production. It is essential for researchers, policymakers, and farmers to promote and encourage the adoption of INM practices for a more productive and environmentally friendly vegetable farming sector.