Effect of micronutrients application modes on wheat productivity and residual soil fertility

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during rabi season of two consecutive years 2020-21 and 2022 under title "Effect of micronutrients application modes on wheat productivity and residual soil fertility" at the CRC Farm of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut (U.P.). The experimental site is located at subtropical center of western U.P. The soil of experimental field was sandy loam in texture with low in available nitrogen, and medium in available phosphorus and potassium and slightly alkaline in reaction. The experiment was laid out in factorial RBD design, where four methods of micronutrients application viz., soil application, seed priming, foliar application and seed priming+ foliar application and three micronutrients namely- zinc, manganese and boron. After two years of experiments results showed that the different micronutrients and their application modes significantly influences the various growth parameters viz., plant height, number of tillers, LAI, LAD, dry matter accumulation, CGR, RGR, chlorophyll content (SPAD value) except days to 50% flowering and days to maturity, yield attributing characters viz., effective tillers, spike length, spikelets spike-1, grains spike-1, test weight, grain, straw and biological yields of wheat crop while harvest index was non-significant. Micronutrients and their application modes also improved the different macro and micro-nutrient contents and their uptake, protein content, protein yield and availability of micronutrients in soil after harvest of wheat crop but the effects on soil pH, EC, OC, available N, P, K and S did not affect significantly by micronutrients and their application methods. The application of manganese through seed priming + foliar application at anthesis to the wheat crop improved all growth parameters, yield attributes and yields of wheat crop where manganese shows the superiority to other micronutrients which was closely followed by zinc. Similarly, the application of manganese through seed priming + foliar application at anthesis gets the highest nutrients content and uptake with highest protein content and protein yield. The highest gross returns and net returns were achieved by Seed priming + foliar application of manganese. On the basis of above investigation it has been observed that the application of manganese through seed priming + foliar application at anthesis resulted in significantly higher growth and yield attributes and yields of wheat crop with greater nutrients content, uptake, protein content, yield and economic returns. Thus it can be concluded that the application of manganese through seed priming + foliar application at anthesis is beneficial for higher yields and net return from wheat crop.