Nutrient management in mung bean (Vigna radiata l.) through sulphur and biofertilizers

To study the effect of nutrient management in mung bean through sulphur and biofertilizers, a field experiment was carried out during 2006 and 2007. The treatments contained four levels of sulphur i.e. 0, 15, 30, 45 kg ha-1 and four levels of biofertilizers viz. Uninoculated, Rhizobium, PSB and Rhizobium + PSB with 4 replications in factorial RBD. Results indicated that application of sulphur @ 30 kg ha-1 significantly increased the plant height (44.6 cm) , primary branches (5.18), effective pods plant-1 (27.8), grains pods-1 (11.0), 1000 grain wt. (35.7 g), grain and stover yield (12.0 and 28.1 q ha-1), nitrogen uptake (86.05 kg ha-1), phosphorus uptake (10.06 kg ha-1), sulphur uptake (7.71 kg ha-1) and quality parameters like protein (24.56 %) and methionine (5.96 g/ 100 g N) in comparison to sulphur @ 15 kg ha-1. Application of sulphur @ 15 kg S ha 1 significantly and linearly decreased the PSB population. Actinomycetes population was not significantly affected by the treatments. However, sulfur application showed a diminishing trend in the population of actinomycetes. Rhizobium and PSB inoculation also showed significant response to all the parameters and showed better response when co-inoculated (Rhizobium + PSB). However, total bacterial population (41.7 x 106 g 1 soil), Rhizobium like organism (RLO) population (13.9 x 103 g 1 soil) and Azotobacter population (12 x 103 g 1 soil) significantly increased up to the level of 15 kg S ha 1. Rhizobium and PSB inoculation showed significant response to all the parameters and showed better response when co-inoculated with Rhizobium + PSB