Effect of Zinc Application on Growth, Yield and Economics of Dual-Purpose Oats (Avena sativa L.) under North Eastern Region of India

Aim: A field experiment was conducted with the objective to evaluate the effect of zinc application on growth, yield and economics of dual-purpose oats.

Study Design: The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 12 treatments and three replications.

Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted at the Instructional-cum-Research (ICR) Farm of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam during the rabi season of 2021 – 2022.

Methodology: The experiment was conducted with the crop variety ‘Kent’. The crop was harvested at 60 and 120 days after sowing (DAS) to obtain green fodder, grain and straw, respectively. Zinc was applied along with recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) as basal (5 kg ha-1, 7.5 kg ha-1 and 10 kg ha-1), as foliar spray (0.5%, 0.75% at 30 DAS and 75 DAS) and in combination of basal and foliar. The study of growth parameters was conducted at 60, 90 and 120 DAS. The influence of zinc on green fodder was observed at 60 DAS and at 120 DAS for grain and straw yield.

Results: The experiment resulted a significant improvement in plant growth parameters viz. plant height (69.59 cm, 44.58 cm, 79.33 cm), number of tillers per meter square (377.61, 450.61, 589.07), periodic dry matter accumulation (28.35 g plant-1, 18.70 g plant-1, 37.94 g plant-1) and yield including green fodder yield (75.01 q ha-1), dry matter yield (28.83 q ha-1), grain yield (22.96 q ha-1) and straw yield (60.84 q ha-1) with combined application of 7.5 kg ha-1 ZnSO4 and two foliar sprays of 0.5% ZnSO4 at 30 and 75 DAS along with recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) (T11). The same treatment recorded highest gross return (Rs. 32,980 ha-1), net return (Rs. 65,558 ha-1) and benefit-cots ratio (2.99).

Conclusion: The application of zinc was beneficial in enhancing growth and yield of the crop in zinc deficient soil of Northeastern Region with subsequent increase in net return and benefit-cost ratio. Thus, widening the scope for conducting future research to eliminate fodder deficits of the region.