(CF) maintained the greatest mean yield over years. The farmer’s practice of application
–1
of FYM at 5 tha maintained the least mean grain yield of pigeon pea.Pigeon pea tended
to maintain greater grain yield under those treatments that supplemented greater amounts
of N through organics in FYM + CF or GL + CF combinations. This indicated that in
the case of pigeon pea, adopting an integrated nutrient-management approach can help in
increasing the yield as well as in reducing the demand for chemical fertilizer.The beneficial
and superior effects of integrated use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients on
crop yields could be attributed to (i) release of nutrients in synchronization with plant
availability, thereby reducing losses and enhancing use efficiency, (ii) prolonged residual
effectonsoilfertility,and(iii)rejuvenationofmicrobialactivityintherhizospherebyway
of providing quick energy and nutrient source and overall synergistic effects (Smith and
Elliott1990; Khan et al. 2004; Bokhtiar and Sakurai 2005).