Vol. 10, Special Issue 11 (2021)

Author(s):
JH Chaudhari, AC Sadhu, VV Sonani and SA Chauhan

Abstract:
A field experiment was undertaken during the rabi and summer season of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15 to study the effect of fertilizer levels, biofertilizers and micronutrients and their interactions on quality parameters, physiological parameters and nutrient use efficiency of chickpea in chickpea-fodder sorghum cropping sequence. Fertilizer level F₃ i.e., 100 % RDF (25-50 kg NP ha^-1) had significant influence on quality parameters like protein content, N content & uptake by chickpea seed and straw, P content & uptake by chickpea seed and straw as well as physiological parameters like CGR and RGR and also on nutrient use efficiency viz., partial factor productivity (PFP), agronomic efficiency (AE), and recovery efficiency (RE) of chickpea over the other treatments F₂ (75 % RDF), F₁ (50 % RDF) and F0 (Control) during both the years and in pooled results. Significantly higher protein content as well as nitrogen and phosphorus content and uptake in the chickpea seeds and straw were recorded under treatment B1 (PSB + Rhizobium @ 5 ml kg^-1 seed each). Crop growth rate (CGR) of chickpea recorded at 60 and 90 DAS were significantly affected due to biofertilizers application. Different parameters of nutrient use efficiency were increased due to biofertilizers treatment (B₁). Application of micronutrients treatment M1 (Micronutrient mixture grade-V @ 20 kg ha^-1) had significant effect on nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by the seeds and straw of chickpea crop and also recorded higher values in different parameters of nutrient use efficiency of chickpea as compared to M0 (Control). Significantly the highest nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by chickpea seeds and straw were recorded under treatment combination F₃B₁, which were statistically at par with treatment combination F₂B₁. The treatment combination F₃B₁M₁ recorded significantly the highest nitrogen uptake by chickpea seeds and straw, which was statistically at par with treatment combination F₂B₁M₁ in pooled analysis. Similar results were also found in case of phosphorus uptake by chickpea seeds and straw in pooled analysis. The treatment combination F₁B₁M₀ recorded the highest value of partial factor productivity, the treatment combination F₂B₁M₁ recorded the highest agronomic efficiency and recovery efficiency, while, treatment combination F₁B₀M₀ recorded the highest value of physiological efficiency (PE) during both the years and in mean data.