Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 3 (5), pp. 298-303, May, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A study of the application of HA in the presence of biofertilizer along with P to see if the P use efficiency can be improved

*Imran H. Sharif, Fawad Shoaib Khan and Nawaz Nusrat Bhutto

Department of Land Resources Research, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 18 April 2015

Abstract

Optimization of phosphorus (P) fertilizer for mungbean (Vigna radiata) was studied during kharif 2012 through integrated use of humic acid (HA), chemical fertilizers and biofertilizer viz., plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) at NARC. The plots were arranged in split-split design under three factors (HA, P levels and PGPR inoculation). Results indicated that application of HA at 50 kg ha^-1 along with 45 kg ha^-1 P₂O₅ (75% P) in presence of PGPR inoculation recorded the highest grain yield (1.96 t ha^-1) that is 19% more than the treatment receiving 100% P application alone (no HA and PGPR). The highest concentration of P (0.3 %) and N (3.5%) in whole shoot mung bean were observed in the treatment where HA was applied at 50 kg ha^-1 along with 60 kg ha^-1 P₂O₅ (100% P) and PGPR inoculation. However mungbean yield and P concentration was statistically at par with the treatment where P was applied at 75% of recommended rate along with H.A and PGPR. Based on findings of this study it can be suggested that HA and PGPR inoculation have significant effect on grain yield and improved P use efficiency (PUE). It showed that HA and PGRP enhanced P availability through chelation and reduce soil P fixation.

Key words: Humic acid, bio fertilizer (PGPR), P use efficiency, and mung bean.