Impact of different levels of potash on growth yield and quality of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth)

Abstract

A field experiment titled “Impact of different levels of potash on growth yield and quality of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth)” was conducted at the Research Farm of the Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture Science, Technology & Research, Sardar Patel University, Balaghat (M.P.) during the Kharif season of 2023. The experimental design employed was a Randomized Block Design (RBD) featuring eight treatments with three replications. The results indicated that the treatment where application of 30:50:35 Kg NPK ha-1 proved significantly superior over all the treatments in respect of vegetative growth i.e. plant height (140.68 cm), number of branches per plant (21.22), yield attributes such as number of pods per plant (226.67), pod yield (20.12 q/ha) and harvest index (41.83%) highest net return for pigeon pea. Economic analysis highlighted that the NPK @ 30:50:35kg/ha treatment offered the best gross return, net return, and B: C ratio, making it the most economically viable. Therefore, it is recommended to utilize potassium at elevated levels to enhance crop productivity and overall