Phosphorus Management in Lathyrus Varieties in Vertisolos
Kusum Sharma
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur, India.
Amit K. Jha *
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur, India.
P. S. Yadav
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur, India.
A. K. Upadhyay
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur, India.
Arti Shrivastva
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur, India.
R.K. Sahu
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2024 to evaluate the response of Lathyrus varieties to different phosphorus levels for fodder yield, crude protein yield, economics, and post-harvest soil properties under Vertisol conditions. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. Four phosphorus levels, 0, 40, 60, and 80 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹, were tested with five varieties: BAUL-106, BCK-19-21A, JCL-22-1, Mahateora, and Prateek. The crop was sown on 21 November 2024 using 50 kg seed ha⁻¹ and harvested at 65 days after sowing at 50% flowering for fodder evaluation. The experimental soil was clay loam with pH 7.12, organic carbon 0.56%, available nitrogen 246.15 kg ha⁻¹, available phosphorus 17.36 kg ha⁻¹, and available potassium 301.78 kg ha⁻¹. Among varieties, Prateek recorded the highest mean green fodder yield of 262.68 q ha⁻¹ and dry matter yield of 51.25 q ha⁻¹, while BAUL-106 recorded the lowest values. Among phosphorus levels, 80 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ produced the highest mean green fodder yield of 257.74 q ha⁻¹ and dry matter yield of 55.06 q ha⁻¹. The treatment combination Prateek with 80 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ recorded the highest green fodder yield of 284.00 q ha⁻¹ and dry matter yield of 59.90 q ha⁻¹. The results indicate that Prateek responded favourably to higher phosphorus application under the tested conditions.
Keywords: Lathyrus sativus, phosphorus management, Vertisol, green fodder yield, dry matter yield, crude protein yield, phosphorus-use efficiency, post-harvest soil properties, economic returns, forage production