Effects of integrated use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with effective microorganisms (EM) on seed cotton yield in Pakistan

A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of integrated use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with effective microorganisms on growth and yield of cotton. Treatments included: control; organic materials (OM); effective microorganisms (EM); OM + EM; mineral NPK (170:85:60 kg); 1/2 mineral NPK + EM; 1/2 mineral NPK + OM + EM and mineral NPK + OM + EM. OM and EM alone did not increase the yield and yield attributing components significantly but integrated use of both resulted in a 44% increase over control. Application of NPK in combination with OM and EM resulted in the highest seed cotton yield (2470 kg ha−1). Integrated use of OM + EM with 1/2 mineral NPK yielded 2091 kg ha−1, similar to the yield (2165 kg ha−1) obtained from full recommended NPK, indicating that this combination can substitute for 85 kg N ha−1. Combination of both N sources with EM also increased the concentrations of NPK in plants. Economic analysis suggested the use of 1/2 mineral NPK with EM + OM saves the mineral N fertilizer by almost 50% compared to a system with only mineral NPK application. This study indicated that application of EM increased the efficiency of both organic and mineral nutrient sources but alone was ineffective in increasing yield.