Effect of NPK Fertilizer and Biofertilizer on Growth and Yield of Late-Sown Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Wheat yield is constrained by late sowing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to short vegetative period and reliance on efficient nutrient supply. To assess the performance of two wheat varieties Gulzar-19 and Pirsabak-19 to mineral NPK and biofertilizer application in late sowing, a field experiment was conducted at Cereal Crops Research Institute (CCRI), Pirsabak, Nowshera 2020-2021. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (split plot) and replicated three times. The varieties were laid in main plots while five fertilizer treatments were laid in sub-plots, which consisted of 60-45-30 kg N-P2O5-K2O ha^-1, 120-90-60 kg N-P2O5-K2O ha^-1, 240-180-120 kg N-P2O5-K2O ha^-1, biofertilizer only and 60-45-30 kg N-P2O5-K2O ha^-1 with biofertilizer. The plant height, productive tillers, grain spike^-1, grain 1000 weight, biological yield and grain yield were observed and harvest index was calculated from the observed yield data. All growth and yield parameters were significantly improved by the use of fertilizers. The highest pooled grain yield (2982.5 kg ha^-1), biological yield (8432.0 kg ha^-1), productive tillers (291.1 m-2), grains spike^-1 (55.4) and 1000-grain weight (47.8 g) were recorded with 240-180-120 kg N-P2O5-K2O ha^-1. The application of double NPK resulted in 35.3% and 35.9% higher grain yield and biological yield respectively than that of half NPK. The yield of grain in Pirsabak-19 was slightly higher than Gulzar-19. It is recommended that adequate and optimal NPK level is critical for maintaining productivity of late sown wheat crops and biofertilizer containing ½ NPK can be a moderate nutrient saving option in situations where the fertilizer cost is a constraint.