Vermicompost plus targeted weed spray boosts wheat profits
Crop Improvement
If you compost at home, this trial shows that swapping in organic matter for a chunk of synthetic fertilizer didn't just match chemical-only feeding, it outperformed it in grain size and farmer income.
Researchers grew wheat for two years and tried different combinations of fertilizer and weed control to see what actually paid off. The winning combo was cutting synthetic fertilizer by a quarter and replacing it with vermicompost (worm-processed compost), paired with a specific two-ingredient herbicide spray. That mix grew bigger grains, more grain per plant, and put more money in farmers' pockets than any other approach tested, including fully weed-free plots.
Key Findings
75% recommended fertilizer dose plus 1.5 t/ha vermicompost gave the highest yields (4117-4218 kg/ha) and net returns (₹75,324.6-₹87,438.0 per hectare) across two growing seasons.
The herbicide combo sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron-methyl achieved 83-85% weed control efficiency and the highest returns among all herbicide treatments (₹82,251.1-₹95,405.7 per hectare).
Completely weed-free plots produced the single highest raw yields (4530-4661 kg/ha), but combining reduced fertilizer with vermicompost and targeted herbicide use maximized overall economic returns.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A two-year wheat field trial in India found that combining a reduced-chemical fertilizer blend with organic vermicompost, plus a specific two-herbicide weed treatment, produced the biggest grain yields and the best profits for farmers.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Influence of Nutrient Management and Post-Emergence Herbicides on Yield and Economic Returns of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
An agronomic investigation was conducted during the rabi seasons of 2023–24 and 2024–25 at the Crop Research Center of ITM University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, to determine the influence of ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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