Science Letters

Agricultural / Plant Sciences | Research article

Field Study Aiming at Higher Grain Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency in Wheat Grown in Alkaline Calcareous Soil

Muhammad Irfan*, Muhammad Abbas, Javaid Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Ahmed Akram, Nizamuddin Depar, Muhammad Yousuf Memon

Soil and Environmental Sciences Division, Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA), Tandojam-70060, Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Fertilizers are very crucial agricultural inputs in the present era of intensive cropping systems. Nevertheless, the developing world is facing the scarcity of major nutrients, primarily due to energy crises, price hiking, geopolitics and finite phosphate rock reserves. Balanced fertilization ensures better crop production and optimizes the nutrient use efficiency, thereby sustaining yields on low input agro-ecosystems. A field study was conducted for two consecutive years to evaluate a recently evolved wheat genotype WBG-1-14 for grain yield and nutrient use efficiency. Three N and nine P2O5 levels were combined into 4:1, 4:2, and 4:3 N-P2O5 ratios to formulate ten treatments, including control. The analysis of pooled data revealed that the tested wheat genotype produced maximum grain and straw yield at 120-90 and 150-110 kg N-P2O5 /ha, respectively. Maximum total N and P uptake were recorded in treatment having N-P2O5 at the rate of 150-110 kg/ha that were at par to treatment with 120-90 kg N-P2O5 /ha. Various N and P efficiency indices, i.e., recovery efficiency (RE), agronomic efficiency (AE), physiological efficiency (PE) and internal utilization efficiency (IUE) were markedly influenced in response to varying regimes of both nutrients. The highest values for N efficiency indices (REN, AEN, PEN and IUEN) were recorded at 120-90, 90-70, 90-23 and 90-70 kg N-P2O5 /ha, respectively. The maximum REP was observed at 150-40, while AEP, PEP and IUP were noticed higher at 90-23 kg N-P2O5 /ha. Overall, the treatment 120-90 kg N-P2O5/ha was found as the most suitable dose for higher grain yield production and nutrient accumulation by the tested genotype.