Interaction Effect of Phosphorus and Sulphur on the Growth, Yield and Mineral Composition of Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilzeck)

摘要

Mungbean (Vigna radiate L. Wilzeck) is a multipurpose pulse crop, consumed by the people in different forms viz., dal and germinated seed, etc. Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient for increasing productivity of pulses. Sulphur (S) is essential for synthesis of proteins, vitamins and S-containing essential amino acids and is also associated with nitrogen (N) metabolism. Sulphur improves both yield and quality of crops. Deficiency of S is increasing due to continuous use of S-free fertilizers and increasing cropping intensity with high yielding cultivars and is more conspicuous in coarse textured soils low in organic matter (Sinha et al. 1995). Studies have indicated both synergistic and antagonistic relationship between P and S, but their relationship depends on their rate of application and crop species (Sinha et al. 1995). Syn-ergetic effect of applied P and S was observed by Islam et al. (2006) for rice. Antagonistic relationship between P and S in mungbean and wheat was observed by Islam et al. (2006). The interaction of these nutrients may affect the critical levels of available P and S below which response to their application could be observed. Information on effect of combined application of P and S on yield, quality and uptake of each other in mungbean is rather limited. The magnitude of response to balanced fertilization varied with different soil types, content of soil moisture and agronomic management practices, besides the season in rainfed ecosystem. The entire area of Vindhyan plateauof Varanasi region is rainfed and more than 50% land is available for oil seeds and pulses cultivation. Generally, farmers do not apply even recommended dose of fertilizers, thus the productivity of pulses is quite low in this region. Present investigation was therefore, undertaken to study the interactive effects of P and S application on yield and quality of mungbean.