Effect of foliar supplementation and nutrient management on nutrient content and nutrient uptake in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The field experiment was carried out during two successive Rabi seasons of 2021-22 and 2022-23 at Agriculture Research Farm of Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda (U.P.). The experiment was structured with three primary factors in the main plots, each having six different levels within the sub-plot treatments. This resulted in a total of eighteen treatment combinations, with each treatment being replicated three times. Within the main plot, the focus was on foliar supplementation, including three options: F1-no spray, F2 - NPK (19:19:19) @ 2% application at flower initiation, and F3 -NPK (19:19:19) @ 2% with Zinc @ 500ppm and Salicylic Acid @ 150ppm application at flower initiation. Additionally, each main plot was subdivided into six sub-plots, each dedicated to one of six nutrient management practices: N1 - 100% RDF, N2- 75% RDF, N3 - 100% RDF +Vermicompost @ 2.5t ha-1, N4 - 75% RDF + Vermicompost @ 2.5t ha-1, N5 - 100% RDF + FYM @ 5.00t ha-1 and N6 - 75% RDF + FYM @ 5.00t ha-1. The results indicated that neither foliar supplementation nor nutrient management treatments had a significant effect on the N, P, and K content in grain and straw. However, foliar application of NPK (19:19:19) @ 2% + Zinc + Salicylic Acid (F3) recorded significantly higher uptake of N, P, and K by chickpea plants, followed by F2, with both being significantly superior to F1 (no spray). Similarly, among nutrient management practices, the highest uptake of N, P, and K was observed under N3 (100% RDF + Vermicompost), which was statistically at par with N5 (100% RDF + FYM) and significantly superior to other treatments.