Effect of phosphorous and molybdenum on growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under rainfed condition in Chitrakoot area

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Rajaula Agriculture Farm, Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot, to study the effect of phosphorus (P) and molybdenum (Mo) on the growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under rainfed conditions. The experiment involved four levels of phosphorus (0, 30, 40, 50 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) and three levels of molybdenum (0, 1, 2 ppm), resulting in 12 treatment combinations. The soil was moderately fertile with a pH of 7.31, organic carbon of 0.32%, and available phosphorus and molybdenum levels of 18.32 kg ha⁻¹ and 3.8 ppm, respectively. The results indicated that the combined application of phosphorus and molybdenum significantly enhanced plant height, branch number, and yield parameters. The maximum plant height (58.9 cm), number of branches (13.9), number of pods per plant (55.9), and number of seeds per plant (53.7) were observed in the M2P3 treatment (2 ppm Mo + 50 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹), compared to the control (M0P0), which recorded minimum values of 42.3 cm, 11.4 branches, 38.2 pods, and 32.8 seeds per plant. Seed yield also improved, with the highest yield (17.8 q ha⁻¹) recorded in the M2P3 treatment, significantly higher than the control (12.3 q ha⁻¹). These findings suggest that the combined application of phosphorus and molybdenum enhances chickpea growth and yield under rainfed conditions in this region.