Effects of different levels of DAP fertilizer on agronomic characteristics and yield of mung bean at agro-ecological climatic conditions of Kabul

Abstract

Mung bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is an important short-season grain legume known for its high protein content. Despite the importance of mungbean, the lack of recommendations for fertilizer use in local practices in Afghanistan leads to the decline of mungbean in the country. This study aims to investigate the effect of different phosphorus applications on the agronomic characteristics and yield of mung bean in the agro-climatic conditions of Kabul. Over two years (2021-2022), we analyzed four phosphorus applications (0 kg ha-1 or control, 20 kg ha-1, 40 kg ha-1, and 60 kg ha-1 DAP fertilizer). These treatments were set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design arrangement, with the DAP rates introduced during Mung bean seeding. Results highlighted significant improvements in agronomic characteristics such as plant height, leaf count, and branch count per plant when applying 60 kg ha-1 of DAP fertilizer. Specifically, the tallest plant height was achieved using the 60 kg ha-1 rate, showing a notable difference from the other DAP levels. Concerning yield and its components, the 60 kg ha-1 application led to a significant yield difference compared to other treatments. Additionally, yield metrics like number of branches per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, seed weight per plant, thousand seed weight, overall seed yield, and pod length were highest with the 60 kg ha-1 application. Therefore, for optimal Mung bean production in Kabul and regions with similar agroecology, we recommend using 60 kg ha-1 DAP fertilizer.