Growth and Productivity of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Organic Manure and Nitrogen Management
Abstract
Background: In sustainable wheat production systems, the use of organic manures in combination with nitrogen fertilisers could improve wheat growth and productivity. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of organic manure and nitrogen rate on growth and yield of wheat. Methods: Field experiments were conducted at the Research Farm, Division of Agronomy, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, during the rabi seasons 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 using a split-plot design with three replicates. The main plots were five organic manure treatments (M1: control, M2: 10 t ha-1 FYM, M3: 15 t ha-1 FYM, M4: 5 t ha-1 poultry manure, M5: 7.5 t ha-1 poultry manure) and the sub-plots were three nitrogen levels (N1: 100% RDN, N2: 50% RDN + two sprays of nano-urea at tillering and booting stage, N3: 75% RDN + one spray of nano-urea at booting stage). Result: M5 (7.5 t ha-1 poultry manure) showed the highest plant height (94.61 cm) which was 19.57% higher than the control and was at par with M3 (15 t ha-1 FYM; 93.98 cm). Likewise, M5 had the highest leaf area index (2.52), which was not significantly different from that of M3 (2.46) and the highest grain yield (55.67 q ha-1), which was 34.08% higher than that of the control and statistically at par with that of M3 (55.09 q ha-1). N1 (100% RDN) had the highest plant height (90.38 cm) and grain yield (51.59 q ha-1) among the nitrogen treatments. M5 also gave the highest straw yield (73.65 q ha-1) and biological yield (129.32 q ha-1) which were 22.12 and 27.27% higher than those of the control and were statistically at par with those of M3. The straw yield (69.83 q ha-1) and biological yield (121.42 q ha-1) were the highest in N1 among the nitrogen treatments. Overall, under the agro-climatic conditions of Central Punjab and the experimental conditions of the present study, 7.5 t ha-1 poultry manure or 15 t ha-1 FYM, when combined with 100% RDN, resulted in the highest growth and productivity of wheat.