Optimum wheat productivity under integrated plant nutrient management is associated with improved root system and high nutrient efficiency

Abstract

Depleting soil fertility and low fertilizer efficiency in alkaline calcareous soils are serious issues worldwide creating an immediate threat to environment and food security. Integrated nutrient management (INM) can be a promising eco-friendly strategy for improving crop performance and resource efficiency to resolve these concerns. A field study was conducted to investigate the integrated effect of organic sources [farm yard manure (FYM) @ 10 tons ha-1 and press mud (PM) @ 5 tons ha-1] along with various NPK rates [100, 75, 50% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)] on root system, nutrient efficiency, and yield of wheat cultivar Kiran-95. Longest roots were measured in FYM + RDF50 while highest surface area and number of root tips were recorded in PM + RDF50 than RDF alone. However, maximum root volume and average root diameter was observed in PM + RDF100 and PM + RDF75, respectively compared with RDF only. PM + RDF100 considerably enhanced grain yield and related traits i.e., spike length, tillers count m-2 and 100-grain weight as compared to RDF only. Integration of PM and 100% RDF showed higher NPK uptake, than RDF alone. Recovery efficiency (RE) of NPK was calculated higher at lower fertilizer rates and vice versa. The sole application of RDF100 showed least RE of NPK whilst PM + RDF50 revealed higher RE of NPK. The results suggested that INM could be a sustainable approach to enhance wheat productivity and nutrient efficiency in alkaline calcareous soils. In addition, PM along with RDF100 NPK fertilizers proved superior in improving root traits and nutrient accumulation thereby increasing wheat grain yield.