Optimizing plant population and sulphur application for grain production of black-eyed bean (Vigna unguiculata L.) in Kandahar region of Afghanistan

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2020 at the research farm of the Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar, Afghanistan. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. The experiment consisted of 12 treatments viz., three plant spacing in main plot (30 cm ×10 cm, 40 cm ×10 cm and 50 cm ×10 cm) and four sulphur levels (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg S/ha) in sub-plots. The soil of the experimental field was sandy clay loamin texture havinglow levels of soil organic matter. The black-eyed bean variety ‘Cheshm Bulbuli’ was sown using 60kg/ha seeds. Results clearly showed that the application of 60 kg S/ha resulted in significantly higher values of growth parameters and yield attributes as compared to the lower sulphur levels. The varied plant spacing in black-eyed bean crop influenced the growth parameters significantly, viz. plant height, shoot dry weight and root dry weight. The highest values of these growth parameters were recorded at the plant spacing 50 cm ×10 cm followed by plant spacing 40 cm ×10 cm and 30 cm × 10cm. Similarly, the values of the main yield attributes of black-eyed bean,viz. number of branches /plant, number of pods /plant, number of seeds /pod, and 1000-seed weight were significantly higher at plant spacing 50 cm ×10 cm over the 40 cm ×10 cm or 30 cm ×10 cm.