Yield and Quality Performance of Carrot under Different Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources with Mulching Options

An experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Farm, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur, Bangladesh to find out the effects of mulch and different manures and fertilizers on the yield components and quality of carrot (Daucus carota L.). Twelve treatment combinations were evaluated in two factors Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Different doses of manures and fertilizers viz. F0 = Control, F1 = Cowdung (CD) @ 10 t ha-1, F2 = Mustard Oil Cake (MOC) @ 0.25 t ha-1, F3 = Cowdung (CD) @ 5.0 t ha-1 + Mustard Oil Cake (MOC) @ 0.125 t ha-1, F4 = Urea @ 326.08 kg ha-1 + Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) @ 93.75 kg ha-1 + Muriate of Potash (MoP) @ 200 kg ha-1 and F5 = Cowdung (CD) @ 5 t ha-1 + Urea @ 163.04 kg ha-1 + Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) @ 46.87 kg ha-1 + Muriate of Potash (MoP) @ 100 kg ha-1 were applied under mulched (M1) and non-mulched (M0) conditions. Results from our study revealed that maximum fresh weight (3.57 kg plot-1), individual root weight (101.90 g), root length (14.64 cm), root diameter (3.27 cm), total yield (23.78 t ha-1), marketable yield (20.53 t ha-1) and beta-carotene content (8.78 mg 100-1 g) were recorded from F5 treatment. The mulching also had a significantly positive effect on maximizing the root yield components as well as beta-carotene contents over non-mulched treatment. On the other hand, the interaction effect of M1F5 performed superior in producing yield components and beta-carotene content of root compared to other combinations. The highest marketable yield (25.10 t ha-1) along with best economic gross return (TK. 2,47,167 ha-1) and the benefit-cost ratio (2.91) were also noted from M1F5. It was concluded that organic and inorganic sources of nutrients along with mulch effectively increase the carrot yield than the sole application of higher doses of manures and fertilizers.