Response of Summer Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) to Phosphorus and Sulphur Nutrition

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the summer season of 2017 at Crop Research Centre (CRC) of Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.) to study the Response of Summer Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) to Phosphorus and Sulphur Nutrition. The soil of the experimental field was well drained, sandy loam in texture and slightly alkaline in reaction. It was low in organic carbon and available nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus, potassium and sulphur with an electrical conductivity (1:2.5, soil: water suspension) of 1.7 dS/m. Four phosphorus levels (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg P2O5/ha) and three sulphur levels (control, 20 and 40 kg/ha) were tested in factorial randomized block design with 3 replications. Results revealed that the growth parameters and yield attributing characters of mung bean viz., pods/plant, grains/pod, test weight and grain yield/plant were significantly higher under highest levels of P (60 kg/ha) or S (40 kg/ha) over their lower levels. The phosphorus @ 60 and 40kg P2O5/ha over control out yielded 86.6 and 54.5%, respectively. Similarly, the per cent increment with 20 and 40 kg S/ha over control was 35.3 and 19.0, respectively. Mung bean fertilized with 60 kg P2O5/ha accumulated 63.7, 64.5 and 93.4 % more total N, P and S/ha over control. The respective improvement with 40 kg S/ha over control was 20.8, 2.11 and 2.62 kg/ha. However, the 40 kg S/ha registered 5.3 and 2.5 per cent higher available nitrogen over control and 20 kg S/ha, respectively. The application of 60 kg P2O5/ha fetched significantly highest gross returns (Rs 59863/ha), net returns and Benefit: cost ratio (2.5). However, the net benefit over and above 20 and 40 kg P2O5/ha was Rs 14457 and Rs 8774/ha, respectively. Among the sulphur levels, the significantly maximum gross returns (Rs 53085/ha), net returns and B:C ratio was noticed with the application of 40 kg S/ha as compared to rest of the treatments.