171 Effect of integrated nutrient management on dry herbage yield, nutrient uptake and profitability of French Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Baraa AL-mansour*1, D. Kalaivanan2, M. A. Suryanarayana3 and A.K. Nair 4 1Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, College of Horticulture, UHS Campus, Bengaluru 2Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru 2Division of Floriculture and Medicinal Crops, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru 4Division of Vegetable Crops, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru *E-mail: baraaalmansour@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Field experiments were conducted at IC AR - Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru during Kharif season of 2015 and 2016 with nine treatments and three replications in a randomized block design to find out the effect of integrated nutrient management on dry herbage yield, nutrient uptake and economics of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). The results revealed that the conjunctive use of inorganic fertilizer along with FYM increased the dry herbage yield and nutrient uptake of sweet basil. Application of recommended FYM (10 t/ha) along with recommended NPK (160:80:80 kg/ha) registered the highest dry herbage yield (8.43 and 3.76 t ha- 1) in the main crop and ratoon, respectively and maximum uptake of nutrient in the main crop as N (155.67 and 113.19 kg/ha), P (43.80 and 32.43 kg/ha) and K (163.33 and 116.16 kg/ha) and in ratoon (56.43 and 26.65 kg ha-1), (16.14 and 14.01 kg ha-1) and (55.65 and 39. 27 kg ha-1) in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Highest B: C ratio (5.49) was obtained with application of full dose of recommended NPK fertilizer during 2015. While in 2016, the maximum B: C ratio (3.71) was recorded with application of recommended dose of NPK (160:80:80 kg/ha) + FYM (10 t/ha) Keywords: Basil, fresh herbage, dry herbage, oil yield, economics, FYM, bio-fertilizer J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 phosphorus and potassium are the most important macro nutrient elements that decide the yield level. The nature and the characteristics of nutrient release of chemical, organic and biofertilizers are different, and each type of fertilizer has its advantages and disadvantages in the context of nutrient supply, crop growth and environmental quality. The advantages need to be integrated in order to make optimum use of each type of fertilizer and achieve balanced nutrient management for crop growth. Applying of organic manures and biofertilizers such as cattle manure and nitrogen fixing bacteria has led to a decrease in the use of chemical fertilizers and has provided high quality products free of harmful agrochemicals for human safety (Mahfouz and Sharaf Eldin, 2007). Cattle manure is the source of N and other nutrients for plants (such as phosphorus, potassium, Original Research Paper INTRODUCTION Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an important essential oil bearing crop; grown worldwide as a medicinal and aromatic plant. Basil leaves and shoots are used fresh or dried in culinary applications, as an ingredient in Western and Mediterranean diets. The high economic value of basil oil is due to the presence of a complex mixtur e of vola tile substa nces, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and their oxygenated analogs present at low concentrations in plants (Taie et al., 2010). The oil yield may vary under different agro climates, soil conditions and nutrient application (Duhan and Gulati, 1977). Ba sil is consider ed a s a species which moder a tely needs for essentia l nutr ients a nd fertilization, among the plant nutrients, nitrogen, 172 J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 calcium,, iron, zinc and copper) that can make valuable contributions to soil’s organic matter, can improve physical fertility, and is a center for biological activities of soil and mineral element absorption (Salem and Awad, 2005), caused more biomass production (Darzi, 2012; Najm et al., 2012). Azotobacter, were found to have not only the ability to fix nitrogen but also the ability to release phytohormones similar to Gibberellic acid and Indole Acetic acid, which could stimulate plant growth, absorption of nutrients, and photosynthesis (Mady and Youssef, 2014).The effect of organic and bio-fertilizer on root morphology and development, uptake of nitrogen, phosphorous and other minerals and hormone supply to plants have been suggested as factors influencing growth responses (Abou El-Ghait et al., 2012; Gendy et al., 2013); But, considering economics and also physiological potential of varieties, entire dependence on organic sources of nutrients may not be adequate to attain the most productivity (Anwar et al., 2005). However, in many situations, the high cost of nutrient sources and the difficulty to supply the necessa r y a mount of or ga nic ma nur e ma kes conventional management of the nutrient as the best strategy to produce herbs. Several studies have reported that cattle manure can increase the yield of some medicinal plants such as sage (Kaplan et al., 2009); basil (Biasi et al., 2009); geranium (Araya et al., 2006) and lemon balm (Santos et al., 2009). Some other studies have reported that nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum lipoferum could cause increased yield in a few medicinal plants such as fennel (Azzaz et al., 2009) and davana (Kumar et al., 2009). The rigorous management of fertilization must try to ensure both an improved and safeguarded environment; so, a balanced fertilization strategy that combines the use of chemical, organic or biofertilizers must be developed and evaluated. In this context, the present study aimed to show the effect of integrated nutrient management on dry herbage yield, nutrient uptake and profitability of French Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) MATERIAL AND METHODS Field exper iments wer e conducted in a r a ndomized complete block design with thr ee replications in the experimental field of ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore during the kharif season of 2015 and 2016. The experimental station is located at an altitude of 890 m above mean sea level and 13058" North latitude and �77 29" East longitudes. The nine treatments of experiment conta in T 1 (FYM (10 t/ha) +100% recommended N through FYM), T2 (FYM (10 t/ha) + 100% recommended N through FYM + bio-fertilizer), T3 (FYM (10 t/ha) +75% recommended N through FYM), T4 (FYM (10 t/ha) + 75% recommended N through FYM + bio-fertilizer), T5 (FYM (10 t/ha) + 50% recommended N through FYM), T6 (FYM (10 t/ ha ) + 50% r ecommended N thr ough FYM + biofertilizer), T7 (recommended FYM (10 t/ha) only), T8 (recommended NPK (160:80:80 kg/ha) only), and T9 (recommended FYM (10 t/ha) + recommended NPK (160:80:80 kg/ha). Initial experimental soil samples (0-30 cm depth) were taken for the nutrient analysis prior to land preparation and analyzed using standard procedures (Piper, 1966; Jackson, 1973; Subbaiah and Asija, 1956). Physical and chemical properties of the initial experimental soil are presented in Table 1. The nutrients were supplied in the form of straight fertilizers like urea (160 kg/ha), single super phosphate (80 kg/ha) and muriate of potash (80 kg/ ha). Fifty per cent of nitrogen and full dose of phosphorus and potash were applied as basal and the remaining fifty per cent of N was applied after 45 days of transplanting in T8 and T9 treatments. For bio- fertilizers, Ar ka Micr obial Consortium (AMC) developed by ICAR-IIHR was used in the experiment and it contains N fixing, P and Zn solubilizing and plant growth promoting microbes in a single carrier. After 15 days of transplanting, recommended dose of AMC @ 5 kg/ha was applied at 2 cm deep to individual plants and immediately covered by soil. Similar method of application was followed for ratoon crop after harvest of main crop in T2, T4, and T6 treatments. Quantities of added fertilizers are mentioned in Table 2. The land was brought to a fine tilth by ploughing and harrowing. The experimental site was divided into plots having dimensions of 4.8 m long and 4.0 m wide with the spacing of 40 cm between the plants and 60 cm between the rows. There was a space of 0.5 meter between plots and 0.5 meter between replications. Basil seeds were sown in two nursery beds of 6.0 m in length with 0.1 m in width and 10 cm height. Forty days old (40) healthy and uniformly rooted seedlings of sweet basil were transplanted to the field. Weeding was done manually and drip irrigation was given daily Baraa AL-mansour et al 173 INM in French Basil Table 1. Physical and chemical proprieties of initial experimental soil Physical properties Bulk density (Mg m-3) 1.32 Particle Density ( Mg m-3) 2.65 Pore space (%) 42 Chemical properties pH (1:2.5) 7.75 Electrical Conductivity (dSm-1) 0.36 Organic Carbon (g kg-1) 5.0 Available N (kg ha-1) 185 Available P (kg ha-1) 28 Available K (kg ha-1) 200 Exchangeable Ca (cmol(p+)kg-1) 5.25 Exchangeable Mg (cmol(p+)kg-1) 0.84 DTPA Fe (mg kg-1) 7.5 DTPA Mn (mg kg-1) 5.8 DTPA Cu (mg kg-1) 1.33 DTPA Zn (mg kg-1) 1.22 J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 Table 2. Treatment wise applied quantities of FYM, inorganic fertilizer and bio-fertilizers Quantity of inputs Total nutrient supplied Treatments FYM NPK BF* N P K t ha-1 kg ha-1 kg ha-1 kg ha-1 kg ha-1 kg ha-1 T1:FYM (10 t ha -1) +100% Rec. 31.5 39.2 224 - 0 35 N through FYM T2:FYM (10 t ha -1) +100% Rec. 31.5 39.2 224 5 0 35 N through FYM + BF T3:FYM (10 t ha -1) +75% Rec. 25.9 32.2 184 - 0 28.75 N through FYM T4:FYM (10 t ha -1) +75% Rec. 25.9 32.2 184 5 0 28.75 N through FYM + BF T5:FYM (10 t ha -1) +50% Rec. 20.3 25.2 144 - 0 22.5 N through FYM T6:FYM (10 t ha -1) +50% Rec. 20.3 25.2 144 5 0 22.5 N through FYM+BF T7:Rec. FYM (10 t ha -1) only 9 11.2 64 - 0 10 T8:Rec.NPK (160:80:80 kg ha -1) 80 80 160 - Rec 0 T9:Rec.NPK (160:80:80 kg ha -1) + 89 91.2 224 - Rec 10 Rec. FYM (10 t ha-1) FYM - Farm Yard Manure, Rec. – Recommended and *BF - Bio-fertilizer 174 for half an hour during the early stages of the crop and subsequently irrigation was given depending on the soil moisture condition. Five plants were randomly selected from each plot and the observations were recorded as pooled data of two years in the main crop and ratoon at harvest time. Fresh and dry weight from each plot was converted to per hectare and it was expressed in tones (t). Dried plant samples were ground to a fine powder and analyzed for determination of total nutrients content by adopting standard methods. The total nitrogen (%) was determined by Micro- kjeldhal method as outlined by Piper (1966), total phosphorus wa s estima ted fr om di-a cid extr a ct by Vanadomolybdate phosphoric acid yellow colour method (Kitson a nd Mellon, 1944) using spectrophotometer. Total potassium was estimated from di-acid extract by using flame photometer (Piper, 1966). Total plant nutrient uptake was calculated by following the equation: Dry matter yield (kg/ha) × nutrient Nutrient uptake (kg/ha) = content (%) 100 Gross income, net income, returns to cost ratio were also calculated as per the formulas given below. Gross income Gross income was calculated based on the prevailing market price of the produce. Net income The net income per hectare was calculated on the basis of gross income and cost of cultivation per hectare as follows: Net income = Gross income - Cost of cultivation Benefit: Cost ratio The benefit: cost ratio was worked out using the following formula: Benefit: Cost ratio = Gross income (Rs/ha) Total costs of cultivation (Rs/ha) Statistical Analysis The data generated from the experiment were analyzed using SAS 9.3 version of the statistical package (SAS Institute Inc, 2011). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using SAS PROC ANOVA procedure. Means were separated using Fisher’s protected least significant difference (LSD) test at a probability level of p<0.01. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Dry herbage yield (t/ha) The data on dry herbage yield (t/ha) of basil as influenced by different levels of N through FYM with and without bio-fertilizers and inorganic fertilizer is given in Table 3. Application of recommended NPK (160:80:80 kg /ha) along with recommended FYM (10 t/ha i.e.,T9 registered the highest dry herbage yield (8.43, 3.76 and 12.19 t/ha) whereas the lowest dry herbage yield was observed with recommended FYM (10 t/ha) i.e., T7 (4.80, 2.08 and 6.88 t/ha) of main crop, ratoon and cumulative data respectively. Among the biofertilizer treatments, application of FYM (10 t/ ha) + 100% recommended N through FYM + bio- fertilizer i.e., T2 recorded maximum dry herbage yield (6.97, 3.05 and 10.02 t/ha) in the main crop, ratoon and cumulative data, respectively. More suitable surrounding environment is created by organic manure that enhance root growth and nutrient availability, which lead to increased plant growth and dry matter (Scheffer and Koehler, 1993). The plants treated by bio-fertilizer can absorb nutrients from soil easily resulting in accumulation of more N, P and K in the leaves (Rai, 2006) that lead to increase the yield. These results are on line with the findings of Khaliq and Janardhanan (1997) in mint, Kapoor et al. (2004) in fennel a nd Joshee et al. (2007) in Scutellaria integrifolia. Available macro nutrient in the soil The results of the study presented in Table 4 revealed that highest available nitrogen and potassium in the soil after cropping was recorded with application of FYM (10 t/ha) +100% Rec. N through FYM + BF i.e, T2 (227 and 236.33 kg/ha) and (296.80 and 340.60 kg/ha) during 2015 and, 2016, respectively. While, application of (160:80:80 kg /ha) + FYM (10 t/ha) i.e., T9 recorded the highest available phosphorus (42.31 and 58.15 kg/ha) during 2015 and, 2016, respectively. J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 Baraa AL-mansour et al 175 Dry herb yield (t ha-1) First year (2015) Second year (2016) Pooled Main Ratoon Total Main Ratoon Total Main Ratoon crop yield crop yield crop T1 6.67 D 3.15D 9.82 E 5.50CD 2.30CD 7.8 CD 6.09D 2.73D T2 7.71 BC 3.66C 11.37 C 6.24C 2.45C 8.69 C 6.97C 3.05C T3 6.38 DE 2.89E 9.27 E 4.73DEF 2.07FG 6.8DEF 5.56EF 2.48E T4 7.33 C 3.32D 10.65 D 4.96DE 2.25DE 7.21DE 6.14D 2.79D T5 5.98 EF 2.65F 8.63 F 4.51EF 1.91GH 6.42EF 5.25F 2.28F T6 6.71 D 2.87EF 9.58 E 4.74DEF 2.11EF 6.85DEF 5.72DE 2.49E T7 5.54 F 2.34G 7.88 G 4.05F 1.82H 5.87F 4.80G 2.08G T8 8.00 B 3.95B 11.95 B 7.28B 2.76B 10.04 B 7.64B 3.36B T9 8.71 A 4.31A 13.02 A 8.16A 3.21A 11.37 A 8.43A 3.76A Mean 7.00 3.24 10.24 5.58 2.32 7.89 6.29 2.78 CV% 4.09 4.15 2.91 8.79 4.26 6.63 3.98 3.32 LSD5% 0.49 0.23 0.51 0.84 0.17 0.90 0.43 0.15 Table 3: Effect of integrated nutrient management on dry herb yield (t ha-1) of basil (Ocimum basilicum ) Tr ea tm en ts T1: FYM (10 t/ha) +100% Rec. N through FYM; T 2: FYM (10 t/ha) +100%Rec. N through FYM + BF; T 3: FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM; T4: FYM (10 t/ha)+75% Rec. N through FYM + BF T5: FYM (10 t/ha)+50% Rec. N through FYM; T6: FYM (10t/ha)+ 50% Rec. N through FYM+BF; T7: Rec. FYM (10t/ha) only; T8: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha); T9: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha)+(10t/ha). J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 INM in French Basil Treatments N P K 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 T1 220.15 AB 262.10 36.91 ABC 46.37 ABC 268.80 ABC 281.66 ABC T2 227.40 A 277.00 42.10 A 47.98 ABC 296.80 ABC 340.60 A T3 211.68 ABC 246.00 33.33 ABC 45.58 ABC 242.67 ABC 275.67 ABC T4 222.57 AB 266.70 38.74 AB 46.25 ABC 265.07 ABC 315.86 AB T5 203.21 ABC 228.00 30.33 BC 39.29 BC 250.13 BC 261.00 BC T6 211.68 ABC 246.40 36.41 ABC 43.25 ABC 259.47 ABC 324.53 AB T7 189.91 C 201.40 27.33C 34.17 C 212.80 C 234.90 C T8 195.96 BC 214.20 40.40 AB 53.26 AB 229.60 AB 323.22 AB T9 199.58 ABC 222.00 42.31 A 58.15 A 235.20 A 333.33 A Mean 209.13 240.42 36.42 46.03 251.17 298.97 CV% 5.09 5.20 11.54 11.08 8.49 8.46 LSD5% 10.46 20.04 4.19 13.91 36.92 43.94 Table 4. Influence of integrated nutrients practices on macro nutrient availability in the soil (kg/ha) T1 : FYM (10 t/ha) +100% Rec. N through FYM; T 2 : FYM (10 t/ha) +100%Rec. N through FYM + BF; T 3 : FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM; T4: FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM + BF T5: FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM; T 6 : FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM+BF; T 7 : Rec. FYM (10 t/ha) only; T 8 : Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha); T9: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha) + (10 t/ha) 176 J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 Baraa AL-mansour et al The treatment T7 recorded lowest available nitrogen (189.91 and 201.23 kg/ha), phosphorus (27.33 and 34.17 kg/ha) and potassium (212.8 and 234.90 kg /ha) during 2015 and, 2016, respectively. In general, increasing the level of N application through FYM leads to increase in the availability of major nutrient. Organic acids produced during decomposition of FYM had solubilizing action that lead to create good balance between nutrients in the soil solution and improvement of nutrient exchange between soil and plant (Bhandari et al. 1992). Bio-fertilizer enhances nutrients mobilizing microorganism which helps in increase the levels of extracted minerals a nd ma de it more a va ila ble (Sha r ma , (2002); Murugan et al. (2011) and Gichangi and Mnkeni, (2009). Treatments N P K Ratoon Main crop Ratoon Main crop Ratoon Main crop T1 82.63 CD 27.06D 29.85BC 12.87 B 99.16CD 33.80DE T2 112.69 B 40.24 C 36.76AB 14.53B 124.97 B 44.05BC T3 82.88 CD 26.96 D 27.21 BC 10.47C 108.55BC 33.65DE T4 95.72 C 32.92 D 32.49ABC 13.67 B 122.89 B 38.94CD T5 68.50 DE 20.84 D 22.16C 8.77D 87.02DE 27.56E T6 82.23 CD 25.96 D 28.36 BC 8.14D 115.35 BC 30.14 DE T7 55.92 E 15.95 D 20.54 C 6.97D 79.55E 24.67 E T8 123.52 B 41.95 B 35.47AB 12.58 B 125.19B 49.15AB T9 155.67 A 56.43 A 43.80A 16.14 A 163.33A 55.56 A Mean 83.07 32.04 29.00 11.57 114.00 37.50 CV% 9.15 12.32 16.05 7.63 7.31 10.43 LSD5% 15.13 6.83 8.54 1.52 14.43 4.03 Table 5. Influence of integrated nutrient practices on macro nutrient uptake of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) during first year of 2015 T1 : FYM (10 t/ha) +100% Rec. N through FYM; T 2 : FYM (10 t/ha) +100%Rec. N through FYM + BF; T 3 : FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM; T4: FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM + BF T5: FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM; T 6 : FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM+BF; T 7 : Rec. FYM (10 t/ha) only; T 8 : Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha); T9: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha) + (10 t/h Treatments N P K Ratoon Main crop Ratoon Main crop Ratoon Main crop T1 69.66 CD 17.33 D 24.07 BC 8.65 BC 77.64 CD 24.88CDE T2 84.80 B 19.44 C 27.17 AB 12.54 B 85.23C 29.44 BC T3 64.04 CD 15.29 E 17.74CD 7.60 CD 62.31 DE 22.07DE T4 68.15 C 17.57 D 19.95D 7.79 B 68.69CDE 26.63BCD T5 61.36 DE 13.80F 15.63 D 5.09 CD 57.20 E 20.02DE T6 63.83 CD 15.80 E 17.27 D 9.41 CD 63.03 DE 23.40CDE T7 53.81 E 13.16F 14.22 D 5.28 D 51.92 E 19.10 E T8 97.35 B 21.69 B 25.36 ABC 10.27 B 99.33 B 31.37 B T9 113.19 A 26.65 A 32.43 A 14.01 A 116.16 A 39.27 A Mean 75.13 17.86 21.32 8.96 75.72 26.24 CV% 8.15 3.74 12.14 12.29 10.56 10.53 LSD5% 10.6 1.15 4.47 1.66 13.84 4.03 Table 6. Influence of integrated nutrient practices on macro nutrient uptake of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) during second year of 2016 T1: FYM (10 t/ha) +100% Rec. N through FYM; T2: FYM (10 t/ha) +100%Rec. N through FYM + BF; T3: FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM; T4: FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM + BF T5: FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM; T6: FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM+BF; T7: Rec. FYM (10 t/ha) only; T8: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha); T9: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha) + (10 t/h 177 Nutrient uptake by plant The data on nutrient uptake by the plants presented in Tables 5 and 6. Total uptake of nutrients was significantly influenced by different treatments. Among the treatments, T9 with application of NPK (160:80:80 kg /ha) + FYM (10 t/ha) recorded maximum uptake of nitr ogen (155.67 and 113.19 kg/ha), phosphorus (43.80 and 32.43 kg/ha) and potassium (163.33 and 116.16 kg/ha) in the main crop during 2015 and 2016, respectively. Similar trend was also observed in ra toon crop that different trea tments varied significantly with respect to nutrient uptake and T9 resulted in the highest uptake of N (56.43 and 26.65 kg/ha), P (16.14 and 14.01 kg/ha) and K (55.56 and 39.27 kg/ha) in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Whereas, application of recommended FYM (10 t/ha) i.e., T7 recorded lowest uptake of nutrient in the main crop i.e., N (55.92 and 53.81 kg/ha), P (20.54 and 14.22 kg/ ha) and K (79.55 and 51.92 kg/ha). Similarly, in ratoon lowest uptake of N (15.95 and 13.16 kg/ha), P (6.97 and 5.28 kg/ha) and K (24.67 and 19.10 kg/ha) was registered in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The gradual mineralization process lead to improvement in nutrient uptake by the plant with application of organic manures, beside to the chelating effect on nutr ients ther eby continued nutr ient availability through the growing period (Preetha et al. 2005). Similar results were also reported by Attia and J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 INM in French Basil Total cost of Cumulative Gross income Net income B/C Cultivation (Rs/ha) oil yield (I/ha) (Rs./ha) (Rs./ha) ratio T No. 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 T1 55,015 54,526 238.37 141.26 143022.0 84756 88,007 29,741 2.60 1.54 T2 55,515 55,026 294 179.2 176400.0 107520 120,885 52,005 3.18 1.94 T3 51,265 50,776 172.76 103.84 103656.0 62304 52,391 11,039 2.02 1.22 T4 51,765 51,276 232.21 116.82 139326.0 70092 87,561 18,327 2.69 1.35 T5 47,515 47,026 157.58 94.38 94548.0 56628 47,033 9,113 1.99 1.19 T6 48,015 47,526 172.91 100.11 103746.0 60066 55,731 12,051 2.16 1.25 T7 40,015 39,526 133.65 67.76 80190.0 40656 40,175 641 2.00 1.02 T8 35,790 35,790 327.51 220.47 196506.0 132282 160,716 96,492 5.49 3.70 T9 41,790 41,301 356.3 258.27 213780.0 154962 171,990 113,172 5.12 3.71 Table 7. Cost of cultivation, gross income, net income and B/C ratio as influenced by integrated nutrient management in basil T1: FYM (10 t/ha) +100% Rec. N through FYM; T2: FYM (10 t/ha) +100%Rec. N through FYM + BF; T3: FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM; T4: FYM (10 t/ha) +75% Rec. N through FYM + BF T5: FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM; T6: FYM (10 t/ha) +50% Rec. N through FYM+BF; T 7: Rec. FYM (10 t/ha) only; T 8: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha); T 9: Rec. NPK (160:80:80 Kg /ha) + (10 t/ha) Saad (2001) in periwinkle, EL-Khashlan (2001) in roselle plants and El-Latif (2006) in Salvia officinalis. Economic studies T he economics ha s been wor ked out by comparing costs and returns as influenced by different levels of organic manures along with and without bio- fertilizers and inorganic fertilization in basil and given in Table 7. Cost of cultivation under each treatment was estimated by summing the cost of agro inputs, manpower needed for one hectare area, oil extraction, overhead costs and interest per capital. The cost of cultivation for basil crop was maximum with the treatment T2 i.e. FYM (10 t/ha) +100% recommended N through FYM + bio-fertilizers, which amounted Rs. 55,026 and 55,515 /ha in 2015 and 2016, respectively, whereas the application of 100% recommended NPK alone (T8) required an investment of only Rs 35,790 / ha in each year. The high cost of organic nutrient sources may form an impediment for integrated nutrient management and makes the conventional management “the best” strategy to produce basil herbs. Gross income was minimum in treatment T7 i.e. recommended FYM (10 t/ha) as it attained Rs 80190 178 J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 12(2) : 171-179, 2017 Baraa AL-mansour et al and 40656 /ha in 2015 and 2016, respectively, whereas, T9 with application of NPK (160:80:80 kg /ha) + recommended FYM (10 t/ha) recorded the maximum gross income of Rs 2, 13,780 and 1, 54,962 /ha in first and second year, respectively. Net returns from the data reveals that an application of recommended doses of NPK (160:80:80 kg /ha) + recommended FYM (10 t/ha ) i.e. (T 9) fetched maximum net income of Rs 171,990 and 113,172 /ha, whereas the minimum net income of Rs 40,175 and 641 per ha was recorded in treatment T7 (recommended FYM (10 t/ha) during 2015 and 2016, respectively. Benefit cost ratio ranged from 1.99 in T5 i.e. the application of FYM (10 t/ha) + 50% recommended N through FYM to 5.49 in T8 i.e. the application of 100% recommended dose of NPK fertilizer in 2015. While in 2016, the maximum value of B:C (3.71) was realized by the application of recommended dose of NPK (160:80:80 kg/ha) + recommended FYM (10 t/ ha), i.e. T9. Application of nutrients through organic manure along with inorganic fertilizer improved the production of oil yield as well as soil fertility (Alizadeh et al., 2010) which lead to increased returns. Adoption of a balanced fertilization is the way of enhancing productivity and economic profitability of basil. These finding were supported by Sudhakara et al. (2010) and Vennila (2014) in coleus a nd Pa til (2014) in ashwaganda. CONCLUSION The outcome of the present investigation revealed that the highest dry herbage yield, nutrient uptake, and maximum B: C ratio was obtained with a pplica tion of r ecommended FYM (10 t/ha ) + recommended NPK (160:80:80 kg/ha) for both main as well as in ratoon basil crop. Hence, the incorporation of full dose of recommended FYM along with 50 percent of recommended N through inorganic fertilizer as basal and the remaining fifty per cent as top dressing at 45 days after transplanting may be recommended for basil crop to realize maximum dry herbage, nutrient uptake and profitability. Abou El-Ghait, E.M., Gomaa, A.O.,Youssef, A.S.M., Atiea, E.M. and Abd-Allah, W.H., 2012. 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