A Study on the Growth and Yield of Exotic Mungbean in a Coastal Saline Soil With Different Fertilizer Doses

Abstract

The coastal area of Bangladesh lying in the sou thern deltaic zones of the country covers about 3.2 million hectares. About 0.833 million hectares of land in the coast is affected by varying degrees of salinity. Major limitations of saline soils are high salinity of soil, river and ground water; ionic and osmotic imbalance; low to very low soil fertility and scarcity of quality irrigation water during drought season. A field experiment was conducted in the coastal saline soil of the Khulna district. The area is mostly under monocropped local T. aman practices having cropping sequence of Fallow-Fallow-T. aman. Topsoil, river, pond and ground water salinity in this area ranges from 3.8-13.8, 1.35-14.9, 2.6-6.7 and 3.5-8.3 dS/m respectively during January to May. At the advent of summer, the topsoil initiates the cracking and extends to a few cm during the peak period both horizontally and vertically. Soil is incapable of retaining irrigation or rainwater as per crop demand at the beginning of the season. Frequent irrigation with pond water increases the germination (>20%) of exotic BINA Mung-2. BINA Mung-2 can exist at soil salinity (ECe ) of 6.5-9.8 dS/m and with irrigated water (ECw) of 3.0-4.8 dS/m up to 45 days after sowing during drought period. Soil test based fertilizer dose responded better growth and yield than other recommended doses.