Efficient Integrated Nutrient Management in Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) for Improving Fertilizer Use Efficiency, Crop Productivity and Sustaining Soil Health in Western U.p

Abstract

A two-year (2021-22 to 2022-23) field experimentation was carried out in Rabi seasons to determine the impact of various integrated sources of nutrient management on growth, yield, yield attributes, uptake of nutrients, their use-efficiency, and productivity for enhancing fertilizer use-efficiency, crop productivity and sustaining soil health of wheat crop in western U.P. The experiment was initiated at Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut (U.P.). The experiment was carried out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and fourteen integrated nutrient management treatments viz., T1-Control, T2-100% recommended N:P:K (150:75:60 kg/ha), T3-50% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha, T4-50% recommended N + 50% N through vermicompost + bio-stimulant-G @20kg/ha, T5-50% recommended N + bio-stimulant-G @20kg/ha, T6-75% recommended N + 50% N through vermicompost, T7-75% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha + bio-stimulant-G @20kg/ha, T8-FYM @10t/ha + bio-stimulants toggle (containing marine extracts) @ 2.9 l/ha, T9-FYM @10t/ha + bio-stimulant voyagro (containing proline, glycine betaine and glutamic acid) @ 585 ml/ha, T10-100% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha, T11-FYM @10t/ha + NPK biofertilizer + urea @ 20kg/ha, T12-FYM @10t/ha + biofertilizer mixture (A. chrococcum + AMF + B.circulans) + bio-stimulant-L @ 625 ml/ha foliar spray each at 45 and 60 DAS, T13-100% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha + azatobacter and T14-50% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha + 25% N through vermicompost. Among the various treatments, results revealed that (T13) receiving 100% recommended N + FYM @ 10 t/ha + Azatobacter was found significantly higher in growth characters, physiological parameters, yield and yield attributing characters, total NPK uptake, and their use-efficiency during experimentation as compared to other treatments. Treatment T13 recorded maximum plant height (109.2 cm and 108.3 cm), number of tillers m-1row length (93.8 and 93.4), dry matter accumulation (g/m1) (152.2 and 150.8) and LAI (4.56 and 4.45) as compared to control than T1. Crop with application of 100% Recommended N + FYM @ 10 t ha-1+ Azatobacter (T13) recorded significantly highest grain yield (47.6 and 47.5 Kg ha-1), straw yield (64.8 and 63.2 kg ha-1), biological yield (112.4 and 110.7 kg ha-1) and harvest index (42.9 and 42.3%) while the lowest was recorded under control (T1). T13 recorded highest yield attributes characters i.e., effective tillers, length of ear, spikelets /spikes number, grains/spike number and 1000-grain weight (84.5 & 81.7), (12.6 & 12.4 cm), (17.9 & 17.4), (49.7 & 49.7) and (40.2g & 40.1g) during 2021-22 and 2022-23 in comparison to control (T1) with no-nutrient application applied respectively. Maximum total NPK uptake (41.7 to 116.3 kg/ha & 39.9 to 112.3 kg/ha), (6.1 to 22.5 kg/ha & 5.8 to 21.6 kg/ha), and (48.7 to 120.8 kg/ha & 45.7 to 116.5 kg/ha) was recorded with incorporation of 100% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha + Azatobacter (T13), followed by 75% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha + bio-stimulant-G @ 20 kg/ha (T7) respectively, and significantly better than rest of the treatments during both years. Lowest total uptake of NPK was recorded in (T1) control plots. Raising the level of NPK from control to treatment (T13) crop fertilized with the 100% recommended N + FYM @10t/ha + Azatobacter recorded the higher agronomic efficiency (14.1 & 14.0 kg seed/kg N, 30.2 & 30.1 kg seed/kg P and 35.1 & 35.1 kg seed/kg K) in wheat. The maximum physiological efficiency (28.9 & 27.9 N, 156.8 & 134.8 P and 34.2 & 33.6 K kg/kg) was attained, when level of NPK was increased from control to T5. The lowest physiological efficiency of NPK was found in treatment T1 during both the years. When NPK levels were increased from control to T13 over both years, the best apparent recovery efficiency of NPK applied in wheat (49.7 & 48.3% N, 21.9 & 21.1% P and 120.2 & 118.0% K) was observed. During both the years, T1 had the lower apparent recovery efficiency. The maximum cost of cultivation (48289 & 47605 Rs ha-1), gross return (136790 & 128577 Rs ha-1), net return (88501 & 80972 Rs ha-1) and B:C ratio (2.83 & 2.70) was recorded under treatment T13 during both years. On the basis of emanated from the investigation the crop fertilized with nutrient management practices involving application of 100% Recommended N with farm yard manure @ 10 t ha-1 and Azatobacter is recommended for the farmers. FYM are the renewable and eco-friendly ways to achieve sustainable productivity coupled with minimizing the deteriorating effect of chemical fertilizers on soil health that can play an important role in meeting the nutrient management of crops and enhance the soil fertility and crop productivity by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. This clearly indicates that the use of organic manures in combination with chemical fertilizers is remarkable in improving the crop yields as well as soil health.