INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT METHODS AND TIME OF PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN WHEAT UNDER ARID CONDITION

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different time and methods of application of phosphatic fertilizer to wheat crop under Arid condition. Experiment was comprised of five treatments viz: T1= Control, T2= P2O5 broadcast at the time of seedbed preparation in the form of (TSP), T3 = P2O5 side drilling after sowing, 5 cm apart rows and 5 cm deep with Rabi hand drill, T4= P2O5 broadcast after sowing at the time of first irrigation and T5= P2O5 mixed with seed of wheat. Results showed that although all the treatments tested were differing significantly from the control in all aspects studied but, application of phospahtic fertilizer (P2O5) side drilling after sowing, 5 cm apart rows and 5 cm deep with Rabi hand drill, produced maximum germination percentage (82.15), plant height (108.50 cm), number of fertile tillers m (356), number of grains spike (41.50), 1000 grains weight (42.40 g) and grain yield (5.08 t ha) as compared to other treatments. Maximum P contents in the straw, grain, total P uptake and protein contents in grain were recorded in T5 was statistically at par with the T4 and T3. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that application of phosphatic fertilizer at 5 cm apart side dressing of the rows at a depth of 5 cm not only increase the plant vigor but also produced better yield under arid condition.