Influence of Varied Nutrient Management Strategies on Yield, Nutrient Absorption and Grain Protein Content in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Background: Chickpea is an important global legume crop, known for high protein content and ability to fix atmospheric N. Achieving optimal chickpea yields in Bundelkhand region is often limited by various biotic and abiotic factors, including nutrient deficiencies in the soil. Thus, proper nutrient management, through inorganics and organics, is a prerequisite for obtaining better yields and quality produce in chickpea. Methods: A field experiment was conducted at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi during rabi season 2022-2023 on different nutrient managements in chickpea. The field experiment was done in a completely randomized block design with nine treatments replicated thrice viz, control (T1), 100% RDF (T2), 75% RDF (T3), 100% RDF + 5 t ha-1 FYM (T4), 75% RDF + 5 t ha-1 FYM (T5), 100% RDF + 5 t ha-1 vermicompost (T6), 75% RDF + 5 t ha-1 vermicompost (T7), 100% RDN through FYM (T8) and 100% RDN through vermicompost (T9). Result: Yield and total uptake of N, P and K were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in T6 followed by T4, whereas total S uptake was highest in T4. Grain protein content and protein yield were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in T4 followed by T6. It was concluded that combined application of inorganic and organic inputs can lead to dual benefits: increased crop yield and improved protein content in harvested chickpea grains.