The Role of Biofertilizer in Combination with Different NPK Fertilizer Treatments on Growth Characteristics and Yield Responses of Chicken Pea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the role of mycorrhiza and humic acid in regulating soil nutrient levels and their effects on the quantitative and qualitative traits of chickpea plants. Our results showed that the application of humic acid and mycorrhiza, either individually or in combination, significantly increased the chlorophyll content of the plants compared to the control treatment. The combination of humic acid and mycorrhiza with 100% NPK levels resulted in the highest chlorophyll levels. Additionally, the combined treatment of humic acid and mycorrhiza with 100% NPK levels showed positive effects on yield-related traits, including seed yield, biological yield, number of pods per plant, and number of seeds per pod. The highest grain yield was obtained with the combined application of humic acid + mycorrhiza at the level of 100 NPK at the rate of ~8000 kg/ha, respectively. Also, the highest levels of N and P were observed with the combined application of humic acid+ mycorrhiza at 100% level of NPK. In general, the results showed that the combined use of humic acid and mycorrhiza has been able to reduce the use of NPK fertilizer by 25%. These findings suggest that the use of humic acid and mycorrhiza in combination with NPK fertilizers can enhance the growth and productivity of chickpea plants. Furthermore, this approach offers the potential to reduce the reliance on chemical fertilizers, thereby promoting sustainable cropping systems. The study highlights the importance of bio-fertilizers and organic amendments in mitigating environmental pollution and improving crop production under changing environmental conditions.