Effect of Different Fertility Management Practices on Plant Population and Mortality in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Aims: To assess the effect of Humic acid (HA), Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR), and Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) alone or in combination on plant population and mortality percentage in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

Study of Design: The experiment was laid out in Randomized block design (RBD) with three replications.

Place and Duration: A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season in the year 2020-21 and 2021-2022 at D6 Block, Norman E. Borlaug Crop Research Center at G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand (India).

Treatments Details: Total ten treatments were used. The details of the treatments are as follows:T1- Absolute control, T2 - Humic acid @ 2.5 kg/ha (soil application), T3 -Humic acid @ 20 g/kg of seed (seed treatment), T4 - PGPR @ 20 g/kg of seed (seed treatment), T5- RDF through 150 kg NPK mixture (12:32:16 Grade), T6 -RDF + HA (soil application), T7 -RDF +HA (seed treatment), T8- RDF +PGPR (Seed treatment), T9- HA (soil application) +PGPR (seed treatment), T10- RDF + HA (soil application)+PGPR (seed treatment).

Methodology: For plant population, the number of plants that emerged in the second row from both sides of the field were counted at 30 DAS and at harvest stage then averaged and calculate the number of plants for 1 m2 area. The mortality percentage was calculated by using the following formula:

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Results: Findings of the investigation revealed that the effect of different fertility management on plant population was found not significant, but it was found significant in mortality percentage. Among the sole application of treatments T2 (Humic acid @ 2.5 kg/ha (soil application) and T4 (PGPR @ 20 g/kg of seed (seed treatment) recorded minimum mortality percentage, while among the combination treatments, T10 (RDF+HA (soil application) + PGPR as seed treatment) recorded minimum percentage of mortality.