Effect of Bio fertilizer Consortium and Foliar nutrition on Growth and Yield of Wheat under Different fertility Levels and their Residual Effect on Summer Black gram

Abstract

The present study entitled Effect of bio-fertilizer consortium and foliar nutrition on growth and yield of wheat under different fertility levels and their residual effect on summer black gram was conducted at the Research Farm, Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST- J, Chatha during Rabi and Summer seasons of 2018-19 and 2019-20. The soil of the experimental site was sandy clay loam in texture, slightly alkaline in reaction, low in organic carbon and available nitrogen but medium in phosphorus and potassium. The experiment was laid out in Split-Split Plot Design with three factors and replicated thrice. Eighteen treatment combinations comprising of three fertility levels, viz. Control, RDF and 75% of RDF were taken as main plot treatments, two sub -plot treatment comprising of bio-fertilizer consortium viz., seed treatment (1.25kg/ha) and soil application (1.25kg/ha) and three foliar application of 2% NPK(19:19:19)viz., at tillering, flowering and tillering+ flowering stage as sub-sub-plot treatments. Wheat crop was sown at spacing of 20 cm with seed rate of 100 kg/ha. Half dose of nitrogen as per the treatment combination alongwith uniform basal application of 50 kg P205 and 25 kg K2O/hectare was applied to all the treatments through Urea, DAP and MOP and the remaining nitrogen was top dressed in two equal splits at CRI and before booting stages. However, black gram was sown after wheat to study the residual effect of treatment applied to wheat crop at spacing 30cm with seed rate of 20 kg/ha. newlineAmong the fertility levels, RDF observed significantly superior growth parameters viz plant height, number of tillers/m2, dry matter accumulation, yield attributing characters, tillers/m2, test weight, grain and straw yield and nutrient uptake as compared to75%of RDF. Whereas, control (no fertilizer) recorded lowest values of all growth, yield attributing characters as well grain and straw yield during 1st and 2nd year of study. Significantly higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, yie