An experiment was carried out at the ICAR-KVK Research farm, HansRoever Campus, Perambalur, Tamil Nadu, India during the Kharif season (July to October), 2020 to study the effect of agronomic biofortification through integrated nutrient management on hybrid maize (biofortified and non-biofortified). The experiment was laid out in Split Plot Design having 36 treatment combinations of hybrids and nutrients and replicated thrice. The treatment sources consisted of two main plots of maize hybrids (M1: Non-biofortified and M2: biofortified), and six sub-plots of nutrients (S1: 100 % Recommended Dose of Fertilizer RDF through Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, S2: 100 % RDF through Farm Yard Manure, S3: 50% RDF through NPK + 50% RDF through FYM, S4: S1+ Iron and Zinc as foliar application @0.5% conc, S5: S2 + Iron and Zinc as foliar application @0.5% conc, S6: S3 + Iron and Zinc as foliar application @0.5% conc.). The recommended dose of fertilizer was NPK 150:75:75 kg ha-1. Application of 50% RDF through NPK + 50% RDF through FYM with Fe and Zn as foliar application @0.5% conc (S6) at 45 (active vegetative stage) and 90 (grain filling stage) days after sowing, significantly increased all the growth and yield attributes, grain and stover yield, quality attributes and nutrient uptake by maize. Among the nutrient levels, higher grain yield (8.2 t ha-1) and stover yield (10.16 t ha-1), quality attributes, and nutrient uptake were recorded with the application of 50% RDF through NPK + 50% RDF through FYM with Fe and Zn as foliar application @0.5% conc (S6). Similarly, significant net return (INR 78,767) and benefit cost ratio (3.07) were noted with the application of 100% RDF through NPK (S1) followed by 50% RDF through NPK + 50% RDF through FYM with Fe and Zn as foliar application @0.5% conc (S6). Hence, integrated nutrient management with agronomic biofortification @0.5% conc., at 45th and 90th DAS should be adopted to obtain maximum grain yield, net profit, and nutrient uptake by Kharif maize.

In this study, the effects of different organic matter additives [soil (control), 20 ton ha-1 farmyard manure, 20 ton ha-1 biochar, and 10 ton ha-1 farmyard manure+10 ton ha-1 biochar] to the soil of lettuce grown with different irrigation water levels [100% (full irrigation), 75% (25% deficit irrigation), 50% (50% deficit irrigation), and 25% (75% deficit irrigation)] on water and irrigation water productivity efficiencies and plant characteristics were investigated. Among the organic matter additives, the biochar reduced the amount of irrigation water and actual evapotranspiration of lettuce and increased its marketable yield, thus the highest water and irrigation water productivity efficiencies were obtained from biochar treatment. Despite the decreasing marketable yield in the 50% irrigation treatment, the proportionally decreasing amount of irrigation water and actual evapotranspiration caused the highest water and irrigation water productivity efficiencies to occur in the 50% irrigation treatment. While the root diameter, root fresh and dry weights, stem diameter and length, head fresh and dry weights, marketable leaf number and yield, chlorophyll, and leaf relative water content of lettuce decreased with decreasing irrigation water levels, root length and membrane damage increased. The effects of organic matter additives on all of these physical-physiological properties, except root diameter and membrane damage, were found to be significant, and the biochar provided the most effective development of these parameters under the deficit irrigation regime. Considering that the yield and yield characteristics in 75% irrigation treatment do not decrease at a very significant level compared to full irrigation (100%) and that these decreases can be compensated by biochar and that the farmyard manure+biochar as alternative treatment is also effective in improving the decrease in yield parameters, treatment of 10 ton ha-1 farmyard manure+10 ton ha-1 to the soil at 75% irrigation water level was found to be recommended in lettuce cultivation.