Impact of Different Rice Straw Management Techniques and Nitrogen Levels on Yield and Nutrient Uptake in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Background: The combined application of nitrogen and the incorporation of rice straw play a vital role in enhancing wheat productivity. Rice straw contributes to the enrichment of soil organic matter and supports nutrient cycling, while nitrogen is essential for promoting plant growth and grain development. Understanding the synergistic effects of these two inputs is critical for optimizing wheat yield and improving grain quality within sustainable agricultural systems. Methods: The study was conducted at Research Farm, Division of Agronomy, Lovely Professional University During rabi 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 and focused on the impact of various rice straw management practices and nitrogen levels on the yield and quality of wheat that emphasizing the importance of sustainable agricultural practices. The experimental field had sandy loam soil with slightly alkaline pH (7.6), medium in organic carbon, phosphorus and potassium alongside low concentrations of nitrogen. It comprised 12 treatments combinations arranged in Split plot Design and replicated three times to evaluate two factors in main plot (1) Rice Straw management: S0 (without straw), S1 (Super Seeder) and S2 (Pusa Bio Decomposer) and (2) Subplot Nitrogen levels N0: (Control), N1: (75% RDN), N2: (100% RDN) N3: (125% RDN). Result: The results indicated that among the different straw management practices, S‚ (Straw decomposed by Pusa decomposer) significantly enhanced wheat grain yield (49.75 q/ha), straw yield (69.87 q/ha), biological yield (120.00 q/ha) and test weight (43.30 g) compared to other treatments. Similarly, nitrogen levels had a significant impact on wheat performance. The highest grain yield (51.26 q/ha), straw yield (67.71 q/ha), biological yield (118.97 q/ha) and test weight (42.23 g) were recorded under N3 (125% RDN). However, these values were statistically at par with N‚ (100% RDN). The harvest index was found to be non-significant for both main plot and subplot treatments. Nutrient uptake in grain (103.60 kg N/ha, 19.89 kg P/ha and 24.40 kg K/ha) and straw (36.09 kg N/ha, 9.77 kg P/ha and 125.37 kg K/ha) was significantly enhanced under S‚ (Straw decomposed by Pusa decomposer). Among nitrogen levels, the highest nutrient uptake in grain was recorded under Nƒ (125% RDN) with 103.64 kg N/ha, 19.71 kg P/ha and 24.74 kg K/ha, while in straw, it was 34.07 kg N/ha, 9.28 kg P/ha and 117.70 kg K/ha. These values were statistically at par with those under N‚ (100% RDN).