EFFECT OF TRICHODERMA BIOFERTILIZERS AND PHOSPHORUS SOURCES ON GROWTH, PHENOLOGY, AND YIELD OF MAIZE

Crop productivity is hampered worldwide by low soil organic matter and plant phosphorus availability, particularly in dry and semi-arid areas. An experiment was conducted during kharif 2022 and 2023 at the research farm of Directorate of Soil and Plant Nutrition (DSPN), Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), Tarnab, Peshawar for two consecutive years. Trichoderma biofertilizers (no biofertilizer, strains TH01, TH05, and green soil) and phosphorus sources (no phosphorus, farm yard manure, poultry manure, DAP, and rock phosphate) were administered at a rate of 100 kg ha-1 and 2 kg ha-1, respectively, in the experiment. The application of DAP as a phosphorus source resulted in a minimum of 54 days for tasseling, 60 days for silking, and 103 days for physiological maturity among the biofertilizer trichoderma strain TH01 at a rate of 2 kg ha-1; a higher number of leaves plant-1 (14), leaf area plant-1 (6165 cm2), leaf area index (4.32), and plant height (205 cm). Regarding the various phosphorus sources, the application of DAP took the shortest amount of time for tasseling (53 days), silking (59 days), physiological maturity (102 days), and leaves plant-1 (14). Therefore, it was determined that applying 2 kg ha-1 of the biofertilizer Trichoderma strain TH01 improved the growth and yield of the maize crop. When compared to alternative phosphorus sources, DAP and poultry dung produced greater growth and yields of maize. In order to improve growth, yield, and yield components for maize production, it is advised that the biofertilizer Trichoderma strain TH01 be applied at a rate of 2 kg ha-1. Poultry manure was a more cost-effective phosphorus supply for optimizing maize growth and phenological characteristics, and it may be suggested for maize's economic productivity.