A long term field experiment was started in 1989 on alluvial soil of Inceptisol at Agronomy Research Farm, Khumaltar, Lalitpur to evaluate the effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil properties and yields of rice under ricewheat cropping sequence. Rice yield was monitored from 1998 to 2003. Chianung-242 rice variety was used as a test crop for all of the five years of experimentation. All the treatments manifested significant increase in rice yield over control. Results showed highest significant grain yield of 7.9 tons ha -1 from the sole application of farmyard manure (FYM) @ 10 tons ha -1. The long-term experiment exhibited that the balanced application of chemical fertilizers alone did not sustain soil productivity under continuous cropping system. Application of 100 kg N ha -1 alone produced the yield up to 7.2 tons ha -1 whereas phosphorus and potassium did not affect the yields in most of the years. None of the soil properties, soil pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium were affected by application of balanced fertilizers while with the application of 10 tons FYM ha -1 , the total nitrogen, available phosphorus and organic carbon contents in the soil were improved as compared to other treatments. The efficiency of fertilizers and manure was influenced by the amount of rainfall received as reflected by the higher grain yield during the higher rainfall years.

Background: Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is one of the important leguminous crop of the tropics and subtropics and is infected by the wilt pathogen Neocosmospora vasinfecta in addition to Fusarium udum. Objective: Hence, the study was undertaken to see the in vitro effect of different fungicides (Thiram 75 WP, Carbendazim 50 WP, Chlorothalonil 75 WP, Metalaxyl MZ 72 WP, Thiram+Cabendazim (2:1), Carbendazim+mancozeb 75 WP, Tricyclazole+Mancozeb 80 WP, Zineb+Hexaconazole 72 WP) and bioagents (Trichoderma harzianum, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis) against the pathogen. Methodology: The efficacy of fungicides was assayed by poisoned food technique and of bioagents was assayed by dual culture technique. Results: It was found that among eight fungicides tested carbendazim (0.1%), combination of carbendazim+mancozeb (0.2 %) and thiram+carbendazim 2:1 (0.3%) exhibited cent per cent inhibition of N. vasinfecta, other fungicides were also significant over control. Whereas among bioagents tested, Trichoderma herzianum (50.30%) showed maximum per cent growth inhibition of the pathogen followed by Bacillus subtilis (41.47%). Conclusion: Thus it was proved that the fungicides viz. carbendazim, combinations of carbendazim+mancozeb and thiram+carbendazim as well as bioagent, T. herzianum were effective against Neocosmospora wilt of pigeon pea under in vitro condition.

The response of two pipeline potato clones to various levels of major nutrients (N: P2O5 and K2O) was studied during 2010/11 to 2011/12 at Hattiban Potato Research Farm, Khumaltar, Lalitpur. An experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications considering combinations of six different fertilizer levels as the main plot and three potato clones as sub-plot. The use of different doses of chemical fertilizers and 20 mt/ha farm yard manure (FYM) did not bring any improvements on soil properties. However, soil pH was slightly improved. The effect of different doses of chemical fertilizers was non-significant on plant emergence (at 30 DAP), ground cover and plant uniformity at 55 DAP. However, increased dose of N and K fertilizer gave taller plants and increased number of main stems per plant. Variety Kufri Jyoti performed better than both of the tested clones in the parameters such as plant emergence, ground cover and number of main stems per plant. Interaction effect was highly significant on number of stems per plant. Highest number of under and seed sized tubers were produced in the treatment with 100:100:60 N: P2O5: K2O kg/ha with 20 mt/ha, whereas highest number of over sized potato tubers were produced in the treatment 150:100:60 N: P2O5:K2O kg/ha and 20 mt/ha FYM. Total number of tubers and total weight (kg) was obtained highest in the treatment of 100:100:60 N: P2O5:K2O kg /ha with 20 mt/ha FYM. Variety Kufri Jyoti is still better yielding if there is no late blight disease in growing season. Though numbers of undersize and seed size tubers were produced highest from clone L 235-4, variety. Kufri Jyoti potato variety still is doing better in hill conditions of Nepal if the environment is not conducive to Phytophthora pathogens. Variety Kufri Jyoti has been able to produce highest yielded (30.9 t ha-1) in the application of 150:100:60 N: P2O5:K2O kg/ha and 200:100:60 N: P2O5:K2O kg/ha with 20 mt/ha FYM, whereas clone L 235-4 gave the highest yield (29.4 t ha-1) and clone CIP 389746.2 yielded highest (25.5 t ha-1). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v14i2.10410 Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 14, No. 2 (2013) 9-16