Effect of FYM, nitrogen and phosphorus levels on growth and yield attributes of Kharif sorghum

Abstract

A field experiment was done under Kharif season 2024 at Agronomy Farm, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat to establish the effect of FYM, nitrogen and phosphorus levels on Kharif sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). The study involved twelve treatment combinations comprising two FYM levels (F1: 5t/ha and F2: 10t/ha), three Nitrogen levels (N1: 60 kg/ha; N2: 80 kg/ha and N3: 100 kg/ha) and two Phosphorus levels (P1: 20 kg/ha and P2: 40 kg/ha) laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with three replications. Experimental results revealed that application of farmyard manure (FYM) at 10 t/ha significantly enhanced the growth and yield performance of Kharif sorghum compared to the lower dose of 5 t/ha. Key improvements were noted in plant height, dry matter accumulation, and yield components such as panicle length, number of grains per earhead, grain weight per earhead, and test weight, resulting in a higher grain yield (2337 kg/ha) and straw yield (10308 kg/ha). Regarding nitrogen application, a rate of 100 kg N/ha resulted in marked improvements in growth parameters and yield traits, ultimately achieving the highest grain yield (2541 kg/ha) and straw yield (11096 kg/ha). Phosphorus applied at 40 kg/ha also had a significant positive impact on growth parameters, yield components, grain yield (9190 kg/ha), straw yield (10727 kg/ha). Interaction effects between nitrogen and phosphorus were found significant for several parameters such as plant height, dry matter accumulation, number of grains per earhead, grain weight per earhead, grain yield and straw yield. The combination of Nitrogen at 100 kg/ha + P2O5 at 40 kg/ha produced significantly the highest grain yield (2793 kg/ha) and straw yield (12083 kg/ha).