Comparative efficacy of different composts in 'S1' mulberry (Morus alba) under rainfed condition

A field experiment was conducted during 1998-2000 to study the efficacy of different composts on growth, leaf yield and qualitative parameters of 'S 1 ' mulberry (Morus alba L.) under rainfed, alluvial soil conditions of Gangetic plain. The pH of the soil was 6.89 and soil moisture in dry season (November-April) was 15.95%. Analysis of pooled data for 8 seasons revealed that all the composts in combination with N, P and K improved plant growth characters, leaf yield and quality in comparison with any compost alone or only with N, P and K application. Out of 4 types of composts, vermicompost in combination with 150, 50, 50 kg N, P and K/ha/year resulted in the maximum plant height (92.76 cm), leaves/plant (243.84), leaf yield (16.26 tonnes/ha/year) and K uptake by leaves (87.80 kg/ha/year). Besides, branches/plant (13.63), leaf area (42.63 cm 2 ), uptake of N (113.36 kg/ha/year) and P (19.72 kg/ha/year) by leaves were also significantly increased over the control. However, total soluble protein was found to be at par and total soluble sugar was almost similar with the other treatments. Among others, vermicompost was found more efficient in overall improvement in quantity and quality characters of mulberry.