Improvement in Production of Carrot through Use of Vermicompost

Possibility of integrated nutrient management in vegetable cultivation using vermicompost as a component of fertilization and manuring schedule has been assessed against the application of farmyard manure along with various percentages of recommended inorganic NPK fertilizers on carrot which is one of the most important root vegetable crops grown in India as well as around the globe. Vegetative attributes, yield values, biochemical and quality parameters of carrot recorded during the course of study indicated use of vermicompost to be an effective proposition for integrated nutrient management in such vegetable crop. While use of farmyard manure and 50% of recommended NPK fertilizers resulted in an average production, use of same doses of inorganic fertilizers along with vermicompost helped to improve the yield value compared to other treatments with different nutrient levels. Thus, application of vermicompost not only increased the quality yield of carrot but also helped to reduce the requirement of inorganic fertilizers.