Effect of Nitrogen Scheduling and Cultivars on Yield Attributes and Yields of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2013 at Udaipur (Rajasthan) to find out the effect of nitrogen scheduling and cultivars on yield attributes, yield and soil fertility status after harvest of sorghum. Treatment consisted two cultivars (V1: CSH 16 and V2: CSV 20) and five nitrogen schedules (N1: 50% at sowing as basal + 50% at 30 DAS, N2: 50% at sowing as basal + 25% at 30 DAS + 25% at boot leaf stage, N3: 25% at sowing as basal + 50% at 30 DAS + 25% at boot leaf stage, N4: 25% at sowing as basal + 50% at 30 DAS + 15% at boot leaf stage + 10% at grain filling stage, N5: 25% at sowing as basal + 45% at 30 DAS + 5% foliar spray at 45 DAS + 15% at boot leaf stage + 10% at grain filling stage) were assigned in a factorial randomized block design. The results revealed that the cultivar CSH 16 recorded significantly higher number of grains per panicle, 1000 grain weight, grain yield (1521 kg/ha), harvest index (13.17) and nitrogen content in plant, whereas significantly higher number of primaries per panicle, stover yield (11141 kg/ha) and available nitrogen in soil were recorded in CSV 20. Application of nitrogen in N2 schedule (50% at sowing as basal + 25% at 30 DAS + 25% at boot-leaf stage) had marked influence on yield attributes, yield and nitrogen content in plant when compared torest of the nitrogen schedules. Therefore, it was concluded that significantly higher grain yield was recorded in cultivar CSH 16 and N2 schedule of nitrogen application from sorghum.