Influence of Various Levels of Phosphorus and Sulphur on Growth and Yield of Blackgram in Vylogam Soil Series (Typic Rhodustalf)

Abstract

Background: In India pulses have been considered as the poor man’s only source of protein. Blackgram is one of the important pulse crops grown throughout the country. Balanced and site-specific nutrient management is essential to improve the productivity of blackgram. Effective use of phosphorus and sulphur fertilizers requires knowledge about their interaction effect on other nutrients and releasing pattern. The information on combined effect of phosphorus and sulphur on availability of nutrients, yield and uptake of blackgram is rather limited in Tamil Nadu. Keeping in mind the above information a field trial was conducted to study the interaction effect of phosphorus and sulphur on improving the growth and productivity of blackgram. Methods: The field experiment was carried out in Madurai district, during Kharif season 2017. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with three replications having 25 treatment combinations viz. five levels of phosphorus (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 kg P2O5 ha-1 applied through Di ammonium phosphate) as factor A and five levels of sulphur (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 kg S per ha-1 applied through elemental sulphur) as factor B. The growth and yield parameters were recorded as per standard procedures. Result: Experimental results revealed that the application of P2O5 upto 60 kg ha-1 and increasing levels of sulphur upto 40 kg ha-1 proved to be the best in improving the growth and yield characters of blackgram. Higher dose of phosphorus and sulphur did not increase the parameters further and showed a negative impact. Thus, interaction of phosphorus and sulphur exhibited a strong synergistic relationship at P60S40 kg ha-1 on growth and yield of blackgram (variety VBN 4) with grain yield of (1118 kg ha-1) and halum yield of (1683 kg ha-1) in Vylogam soil series (Typic Rhodustalf) of Madurai District.