Evaluation of nitrogen use efficiency

and utilization of residue by

successive crops of various cropping
sequences of
‘okra-tomato-cabbage’ F1 hybrid
vegetables using 15N enriched urea

S.C.KOTUR1, P.R. RAMESH1,

K. ANJANEYULU1 AND V. RAMACHANDRAN2

1
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore-560
089

2
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400 085
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore-560 089
Division housing Isotope
Laboratory
Isotope Laboratory of IIHR, Bangalore

 Established in 1976 under joint-assistance of

DST-USDA.

 Extensive research using isotopic

techniques in root activity studies, fertilizer
use efficiency studies in fruit crops and
refinement of fertilizer management in
vegetable crops using both stable- and
radio-active isotopes.

 Recognized by FAI through Silver Jubilee

Award in 2000 for excellence in “Fertilizer
management” research.
 Isotope Laboratory of IIHR, Bangalore

 National Facility
for 32P-labelling of
superphosphate
established in
2005

 Poised to be
upgraded to Type-
III laboratory from
Type-II

Almost all studies have been field experiments, which is unique

 Work done on horticultural crops at
Isotope Laboratory of IIHR, Bangalore
 Root activity distribution and appropriate
time and method of fertilizer application
for high FUE in different fruit crops

 Fertilizer management of vegetable

crops for achieving high FUE and
economy of fertilizer input

 Kinetics of nutrient absorption in fruit

and vegetable crops in N and P for
differentiation of cultivars/rootstocks
for nutrient efficiency

 Role of frame work of the tree in the

nutrient dynamics

 Enhancement of bunch weight of banana

by feeding N, K and S blended in cow
 Objectiv
e

To develop a model of
maximizing N use in
vegetable cropping
sequences by evaluation of
the sequence “okra-tomato-
cabbage” using isotopic
technique
 Methodolog
y
 The sequence was raised in 3 series
 In the first series the first crop and in the
second series the second crop and in the
third series the third crop received 15N
labelled fertilizer
 The remaining crops in each series
received N in the unlabelled form
 Nitrogen derived from fertilizer (Ndff), N
fertilizer utilization and residual fertilizer N
in soil in different crops were determined
in each series.
 All 3 combinations of the sequence were
evaluated to identify the most N efficient
cropping sequence
 Methodology
(cont’d)
 Sequence-1 : Okra-tomato-cabbage ::
Series-I :: Okra*-tomato-cabbage

Series-II :: Okra-tomato*-cabbage

Series-III :: Okra-tomato-cabbage*

 Sequence-2 : Tomato-cabbage-okra :: 3
series
 Sequence-3 : Cabbage-okra-tomato :: 3 series
 Sequence-4 : Tomato-okra-cabbage :: 3 series
 Sequence-5 : Okra-cabbage-okra :: 3 series
 Sequence-6 : Cabbage-tomato-okra :: 3 series

The crop with the superscript of "*" received 15N

labelled fertilizer while the remaining received
 Methodology
(cont’d)
 The varieties:
Cabbage: Krishna Mahyco hybrid;
Okra: Mahyco hybrid-1 (I series) and
U.S. Agriseed 7109 (II and III series);
Tomato: ‘Arka Abhijit’ (I series), ‘JK Asha’ ( II
and III series)

 The fertilizer doses: Cabbage - 150:125:100;

(N:P:K kg/ha) Okra - 100:50:50;
Tomato - 180:150:120

 The series:
First: August-November
2003
Second: December 2003-March 2004
Third: April-July 2004
Experimental plot of cabbage crop
The central 1.8m x1.0m received N labelled fertilizer
15
Another glimpse of okra plot
A glimpse of okra plot
 Observations
recorded

 Yield
 Dry matter
 Nitrogen derived from fertilizer
(%)
 Fertilizer N uptake by each
crop
 Ndff and residual fertilizer N
 N utilization (%) in 3 component crops when I crop was
tagged

Series
I II (I residue of I crop) III (II residue of I crop)
Okra* Tomato Cabbage
13.05 (±0.341) 1.52 (±0.097) 0.12 (±0.005)
Tomato* Cabbage Okra
17.39 (±0.404) 4.61 (±0.316) 0.39 (±0.049)
Cabbage* Okra Tomato
34.85 (±0.525) 0.79 (±0.008) 0.26 (±0.009)
Tomato* Okra Cabbage
18.09 (±18.09) 0.67 (±0.033) 0.33 (±0.005)
Okra* Cabbage Tomato
12.25 (±0.271) 2.27 (±0.047) 0.20 (±0.014)

Cabbage* Tomato Okra

38.33 (±0.597) 1.07 (±0.029) 0.21 (±0.005)
N utilization (%) in 3 component crops when II crop was
tagged

Series
I II III (I residue of II
Okra Tomato* crop)
Cabbage
- 19.01 (±0.236) 0.56 (±0.050)
Tomato Cabbage* Okra
- 30.15 (±0.1.033) 0.50 (±0.009)
Cabbage Okra* Tomato
- 14.62 (±0.566) 0.85 (±0.056)
Tomato Okra* Cabbage
- 9.38 (±0.038) 0.38 (±0.017)
Okra Cabbage* Tomato
- 21.93 (±1.145) 0.39 (±0.021)
Cabbage Tomato* Okra
- 17.25 (±0.045) 0.38 (±0.009)
N utilization (%) in 3 component crops when III crop was
tagged

Series
I II III
Okra Tomato Cabbage*
- - 9.93 (±0.266)
Tomato Cabbage Okra*
- - 16.77 (±0.235)
Cabbage Okra Tomato*
- - 14.05 (±0.303)
Tomato Okra Cabbage*
- - 12.08 (±1.147)
Okra Cabbage Tomato*
- - 16.64 (±0.110)
Cabbage Tomato Okra*
- - 11.04 (±0.173)
 N use efficiency of cropping
sequences
 In different possible sequences of okra, tomato
and cabbage during first season (August –
November, 2003), the recovery of fertilizer N
varied widely in the range of 12.25-38.33%
 The N use efficiency was distinctly high (34.85-
38.33%) when the first crop was cabbage. When
tomato was the first crop the recovery was
intermediate (17.39-18.09%). The least recovery
was observed when the first crop was okra
(12.25-13.05%)
 Okra as the second crop reduced the overall N
efficiency of the sequence when the first crop was
either cabbage or tomato
 Similarly, the N use efficiency measured from
tagging second crop of the sequences with 15N
also showed that cabbage followed by tomato
showed higher N recovery
 N use efficiency by the component
crops in different seasons

 The performance of cabbage to utilize fertilizer N

declined from first season (August-November,
2003; 34.85-38.33%) to the second season
(December, 2003-March, 2004; 21.93-30.15%) to
the least of 9.93-12.08% in third season (April-
July, 2004)

 The tomato and okra crops were comparatively

less affected and the recovery of N from fertilizer
ranged between 14.05-19.01% and 9.38-16.77%
among the 3 seasons respectively
Utilization of residual fertilizer N by the
crops

 In general, the recovery of the fertilizer N

applied to the first crop by the second
crop was low (0.20-4.61%)

 Cabbage showed the best recovery of

residual fertilizer N of 2.27-4.61% among
the 3 vegetables

 The recovery of fertilizer N in the third

crop was very low (0.12-0.33%)
 Summar
y

 “Cabbage-tomato-okra” was most N efficient

cropping sequence by showing 39.61% recovery
of applied N

 The recovery of N by cabbage was best when

grown in the first season and declined in the later
2 seasons continuously while those of tomato and
okra did not show such a trend

 Cabbage as the second crop showed the highest

recovery of residual fertilizer N of 2.27-4.61%
compared to other crops and

 The recovery of N by the third crop was meagre

(0.12-0.33%)
 Conclusion
s
 Proper sequencing of the component vegetable
crops in the sequence is essential to achieve high
overall N use efficiency of the applied fertilizer

 Cabbage is the most season-sensitive in respect

of N use efficiency while tomato and okra are less
so

 Recovery of residual N , in general, is very

meagre
There is scope to evaluate
other cropping sequences of vegetables
using conventional research techniques
to maximize fertilizer use efficiency
 Acknowledgeme
nts

Board of Research in Nuclear

Sciences (BRNS),
Department of Atomic Energy,
Government of India

for financial assistance to take up

this study
Thank you!