Co-application of Phosphorus and Sulfur Improve Yield, Quality, and Nutrients Uptake in Nicotiana tabaccum L.

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the interactive effect of phosphorus (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P2O5 ha-1) and sulfur (0, 15, 30, and 45 kg ha-1) on yield, quality, and uptake of nutrients by tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum L.). The experiment was organized in a two-factorial randomized complete block design with three replications at Tobacco Research Station, Mardan, Pakistan in 2017-2018. Application of 90 kg P2O5 ha-1 improved tobacco leaf area (24.2%), green leaf weight (44.5%), cured leaf weight (44.7%), grade index (18.3%), nicotine (35.8%), sugar (12%), and P (24.5%) contents but decreased S content (35.3%) over control phosphorus plots. Similarly, application of 45 kg S ha-1 optimized leaf area (13.6%), grade index (12%), nicotine (15%), P (5.9%), and S (96%) contents over control sulfur plots. Interactively, P application antagonized leaf S content. However, it did not show any adverse effect on other agronomic and quality parameter. Both P and S application decrease leaf chloride content by 43.5% and 21.4%, respectively. Thus, 90 kg P2O5 ha-1 along with 45 kg S ha-1 is recommended for obtaining optimum yield of good quality tobacco crop.