Enhancing Nutrient Use Efficiency of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) through Integrated Fertilizer Levels and Biofertilizer Application

A field experiment was conducted during the 2025–26 Rabi season at the Agriculture Research Farm, Department of Soil Science, Tantia University, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, to evaluate ten fertiliser and biofertiliser treatments for chickpea. The experiment followed a randomised block design with three replications. Treatments comprised a control, 100% recommended dose of fertiliser (RDF), and 50%, 75% or 100% RDF in combination with Rhizobium and/or phosphate-solubilising bacteria (PSB). The RDF was 40:60:40 kg ha⁻¹ N:P₂O₅:K₂O. Treatment T₉ (100% RDF + Rhizobium @ 200 ml kg⁻¹ seed) recorded the highest plant population (33.03 plants m⁻¹ row length), plant height (64.17 cm), dry matter accumulation (50.40 g), branches (7.54 plant⁻¹), pods (36.93 plant⁻¹), seeds per pod (1.91) and pod weight (9.40 g plant⁻¹). The seed index was also highest under T₉ (35.28 g), but treatment differences were non-significant. After harvest, T₉ recorded the highest organic carbon (0.57%), available nitrogen (281.27 kg ha⁻¹), phosphorus (16.93 kg ha⁻¹), iron (3.77 mg kg⁻¹), zinc (1.27 mg kg⁻¹), manganese (3.26 mg kg⁻¹) and copper (1.06 mg kg⁻¹). Available potassium was highest under T₄ (196.14 kg ha⁻¹), while soil electrical conductivity did not differ significantly among treatments. Thus, T₉ performed best for most measured growth and yield attributes and several soil fertility indicators under the experimental conditions. Direct nutrient-use-efficiency indices and seed yield were not reported.