Response of wheat to combined application of nitrogen and phosphorus along with compost

Abstract

To achieve food security and increase crop productivity in a sustainable way, keeping soil fertile and balanced fertilization is vital. Soil fertility declining and unbalanced fertilization is one of the bottlenecks to sustainable agricultural production. To overcome these problems, a field experiment was investigated, with the aim of exploring the potential of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with their optimal application and integration for sustainable wheat production. The experiment was conducted in a factorial approach with three replications, where one factor was the level of the NP (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) fertilizer and the other compost, set in a randomized complete block design. Four levels of the N:P fertilizer (control, 27.6%:18.4%, 41.4%:32.2% and 55.2%:46%) were combined with three levels of compost (0, 3 ton/ha and 6 ton/ha), giving 12 treatments combination. From the data collected and analyzed, integrated application of the NP fertilizer and compost significantly increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus but had no effect on soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Application of 6 ton/ha compost was higher with plant height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000 seeds weight, and biological yield. The sole application of the NP (55.2%:46%) produced (6.19 ton/ha) grain yield whereas combined application of the NP (55.2%:46%) along with the compost (6 ton/ha) produced the higher grain yield (8.16 ton/ha). This clearly revealed that application of 75% recommended inorganic NP fertilizers combined with compost resulted in increased wheat yield by 27.45% over sole application of inorganic fertilizer indicated that the integrated approach could enable to save up to 25% of commercial fertilizers and increase the yield of wheat.

The Dynamics of Nitrogen Valorification in Wheat Crop under the Influence of the Used Agrofound

“…Similar results have been obtained and communicated in other studies, regarding the variation of NUE in relation to mineral (phosphorus and potassium) and organic fertilizers, wheat crops or other cereal crops, under different pedoclimatic conditions and cultivated genotypes (Kabato et al, 2022;Rawal et al, 2022).…”

Compost fortification with lignocellulolytic fungi for wheat cultivation using fewer mineral fertilizers amount in sandy soil

“…The increment in the number of kernels per spike due to mineral and organic fertilizers can be qualified as the increment in the spike length and the number of spikelets/spike, as concurred with Majeed et al (2014) and Ibrahim et al (2019). The enhancement in biological yield of wheat was previously achieved by Kabato et al (2022) when integrated NP fertilizer with compost resulting in positive interactions between the two sources of nutrients to enhance nutrient supply due to the high content of organic carbon, nitrogen and available phosphorus.…”

“…Also, the current findings of the harvest index are in agreement with Afridi et al (2010), who stated that the harvest index has mainly relied on the above-ground dry matter and its variation along with environmental factors as well as the genetic makeup of plants. The obtained findings have been recently verified by Kabato et al (2022) for grain yield, harvest index, and thousand seeds weight of wheat plant; as a result effect of combined application of NP along with compost on the soil pH, soil structure, available P, and total N, and might be other nutrients. They concluded sufficient evidence for enhancing the effectiveness of chemical fertilizer through the application of organic fertilizer, which acts to enhance beneficial microbial activity and improvement of soil fertility levels.…”

Determination of Heavy Metals in Root and Shoot of Durum Wheat, Plant Soil: Translocation and Bioaccumulation Factor

“…Organic cultivation action utilizes organic fertilizers, compost, and indigenous methods to provide plants with nutrients; the conventional method focuses on chemicals to provide nutrients to the plants. The application of organic fertilizer obtained from animal waste to vegetable crops resulted in a 3.21%-62.28% yield higher than the conventional practice with 2.18%-24.34% yield [12], and higher plant height, number of seeds and yield of wheat crops [13].…”