EFFECT OF FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT AND MULCHING ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF LETTUCE

The experiment consisted of four levels of fertilizers and manure treatments viz. control, Cowdung 23.14 t/ha, chemical fertilizer (Urea 352 kglha, TSP 180 kglha and MP 158 kglha) and organic + inorganic fertilizer(cowdung 11.5 t/ha, Urea 177 kglha, TSP 62 kglha and MP 63 kglha) and four different mulching treatments viz., no mulch, rice straw, water hyacinth and black polythene mulch. Organic + inorganic fertilizer treatment gave maximum plant height (27.40 ern) and maximum number of leaves (24.6) per plant at 50 DAT during period of final harvesting. At the final harvest, the maximum fresh weight of leaves per plant (454.6 g), leaf area (411.5 em'), gross yield (46.01 t/ha), marketable yield (45.46 t/ha), percentage of dry matter content (11.24), percentage of fibre content (2.65) were recorded from organic + inorganic fertilizer treatement which was significantly superior to all other fertilizer treatments. Mulching treatments also showed a significant difference on plant height, number of leaf (at all dates of observation), leaf area, leaf yield per plant, percentage of fibre content, percentage of dry matter content, gross yield marketable yield per hectare at final harvest. The maximum values were in plants hight (25.61 ern), numbers of leaves (22.77), fresh leave weight (424.96 g) per plant, leaf area (393.2 crrr'), gross yield (26.01 t/ha) markatable yield (45.26 t/ha), percentage of dry matter (11.29) and percentage of fibre content (2.66) at final harvest. Different levels of organic + inorganic fertilizer as well as mulching had also significant combined effects on different parameter studied. Maximum plant height (29.13 ern), number of leaves per plant (26.00), fresh weight of leaves per plant (496.20 g), gross yield of leaves (50.27 t/ha) marketable yield (49.62 t/ha), percentage of dry matter of leaves (12.25) and percentage of fibre content (3.1) at final harvest (at 50 DAT) were observed in the treatment combination of organic + inorganic fertilizer with black polythene mulch. The best performace was obtained from treatment combination of organic + inorganic fertilizer with black polythene mulch that was considered to be the best combination of fertilizer management and mulching for maximising yield of lettuce.