Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management Practices on the Growth Performance of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out during the rabi season of 2025 at the Agricultural Experimental Field, Department of Agronomy, Rama University, Mandhana, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, to assess the influence of integrated nutrient management (INM) practices on the growth of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). The experiment was arranged in a randomised block design (RBD), comprising eight treatments replicated three times, with chickpea variety KWR-108 used as the test crop.The treatments comprised T₁-control, T₂-100% recommended dose of fertilisers (RDF), T₃-75% RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹, T₄-75% RDF + vermicompost @ 2 t ha⁻¹, T₅-75% RDF + Rhizobium, T₆-75% RDF + Rhizobium + PSB, T₇-50% RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + Rhizobium + PSB and T₈-FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + Rhizobium + PSB. Observations were recorded for initial and final plant population, plant height at 30, 60 and 90 days after sowing (DAS) and at harvest, number of branches per plant, dry matter accumulation per plant and number of root nodules per plant. Significant differences were observed among the treatments for all growth parameters. Among the treatment combinations, T₇ recorded the highest initial plant population (34.79 plants m⁻²), final plant population (33.44 plants m⁻²), plant height at 30, 60 and 90 DAS and at harvest (17.14, 37.64, 59.21 and 59.44 cm, respectively), number of branches per plant (11.96), dry matter accumulation (25.43 g plant⁻¹) and number of root nodules per plant (19.42). The results indicate that the integrated application of a reduced dose of inorganic fertilisers with farmyard manure and biofertilisers improved the vegetative growth of chickpea compared with the control and several other nutrient-management practices under the agro-climatic conditions of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.