Response of nitrogen levels on growth and yield attributes of wheat varieties under poplar based agroforestry system in Northern, India

Abstract

The study was conducted with an objective to evaluate the response of varying levels of nitrogen on growth and yield attributes of three wheat varieties (WH-711, HD-2967 and WH-1105) under three-year-old poplar based agroforestry system at 5×3 m spacing. In this experiment, four nitrogen levels i.e. recommended dose of fertilizer [RDF: 60 kg N + 24 kg P₂O₅ + 12 kg K₂O + 10 kg ZnSO₄ per acre), RDF + 10% additional dose of N, RDF + 20% additional dose of N and RDF + 30% additional dose of N were evaluated for their response. The plant height at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after sowing (DAS) of wheat varieties showed significant variation with varying levels of nitrogen under poplar based agroforestry system. Highest yield attributing parameters were observed in WH-1105 being statistically at par with HD-2967 but significantly higher than WH-711. Recommended dose of fertilizer + additional dose of N (10, 20 and 30%) significantly increased the yield attributing parameters over recommended dose of fertilizer in all the varieties of wheat. Varying fertilizer levels showed significant increase in grain and straw yield of wheat under poplar based agroforestry systems. Maximum grain (4.92 t/ha) yield was recorded in WH-1105. Recommended dose of fertilizer + additional dose of N (10, 20 and 30%) significantly increased the grain as well as straw yield over recommended dose of fertilizer in all the varieties of wheat. However, the differences between RDF + 10% additional dose of N, RDF + 20% additional dose of N and RDF + 30% additional dose of N were found non-significant.