Effect of NPK and vermicompost on growth characteristics and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Introduction

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), a winter season pulse crop, is widely grown across semi-arid and subtropical regions due to its adaptability and ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, enriching soil fertility. Globally, chickpea is cultivated on about 15.2 million hectares, producing 18.9 million tonnes (FAOSTAT, 2024) [7] . India alone accounts for over 70% of global production, covering 10.12 million hectares (DAC & FW, 2024) [4] . Despite this vast area, productivity remains low (~1.23 t/ha) compared to its potential due to poor agronomic practices, particularly nutrient mismanagement (Yadav et al., 2020) [19] . Chemical fertilizers are often applied uniformly across regions without accounting for spatial soil variability. This leads to overuse in some areas and under-application in others, contributing to low yields, soil degradation, and environmental concerns (Rana et al., 2022) [16] . Furthermore, smallholder farmers often cannot afford high-cost fertilizers, increasing reliance on low-input farming systems. Hence, sustainable nutrient management practices that integrate organic and inorganic inputs are necessary. Among these strategies, integrated nutrient management (INM), involving the combined use of chemical fertilizers and organic manures such as vermicompost, has shown promise in enhancing soil fertility, crop productivity, and resource-use efficiency (Ghosh et al., 2023) [8] . Vermicompost, produced through the bio-oxidation of organic matter by earthworms (e.g., Eisenia fetida), is rich in nutrients, humic substances, beneficial microorganisms, and plant growth hormones (Arancon et al., 2008) [1] . Given chickpea's relatively low external nutrient requirements and its symbiotic nitrogen fixation, it is an ideal candidate for INM approaches. This study evaluates the effects of different levels of NPK and vermicompost-individually and in combination-on the growth characteristics and yield of chickpea under field conditions in Rajasthan, India.

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted during rabi season 2024-25 at the Agricultural Research Farm of Mewar University, Gangarar, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan (24.84°N latitude and 74.63°E longitude), characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions. The soil at the experimental site was sandy loam, low in organic carbon and available nitrogen but medium in phosphorus and potassium. A split-plot design was employed with three replications:

• Main plot: NPK at 50%(F 1 ), 75%%(F 2 ), and 100%%(F 3 ) of Recommended Dose of Fertilizer (RDF) • Sub-plot: Vermicompost at 0 (V 0 ), 50% (V 1 ), and 100% (V 2 ) of recommended dose

The recommended dose was 20:60:40 kg/ha N:P:K for chickpea.

Vermicompost was applied at 2 t/ha for 100% RD. The test variety was RSG 888, with row spacing maintained at 30 cm. Irrigation and intercultural operations were performed as per standard protocols. Observations were recorded on growth parameters (plant height, branch number), biomass accumulation, reproductive traits (pods per plant, seeds per pod), seed yield (g/plant and kg/ha), 100-seed weight (seed index), straw yield, and harvest index.

Results and Discussion

The application of NPK and vermicompost had a significant influence on plant height at all growth stages. Among the NPK levels, 100% RDF (F 3 ) produced the tallest plants (53.16 cm), significantly higher than F 2 (51.41 cm) and F 1 (48.65 cm).

Similarly, among vermicompost treatments, 100% RD (V 2 ) resulted in the highest plant height (52.68 cm), with the maximum height observed under the interaction treatment F 3 V 2 (54.63 cm) (Table 1 & Fig. 1). These findings are in agreement with Edwards et al. (2010) [6] , who reported that vermicompost enhances microbial activity, root development, and nutrient availability, thereby improving vegetative vigor. Chaudhary et al. (2018) [2] also observed increased plant height under integrated nutrient application, attributing the improvement to the synergistic effect of immediate nutrient availability from fertilizers and sustained release from organic inputs. The number of primary branches per plant increased progressively from 30 to 90 DAS across treatments. F 3 (13.17 branches) and V 2 (12.80 branches) produced significantly higher branching compared to lower levels of nutrient application. The treatment F 3 V 2 yielded the highest number of branches (14.04), indicating a strong synergistic effect between chemical and organic inputs (Table 1). These results corroborate the observations of Zala et al. (2024) [20] , who found that combining 75% RDF with vermicompost and Rhizobium significantly increased branching due to enhanced root growth, better nodulation, and improved nutrient uptake. Prakash et al. (2022) [15] also reported similar increases in branching under integrated nutrient management practices, highlighting the continuous nutrient supply provided by vermicompost. Dry matter accumulation was significantly improved by the application of both NPK and vermicompost. The highest total dry matter at 90 DAS was recorded under F 3 (19.35 g/plant), followed closely by F 2 (18.91 g) (Table 1). Among vermicompost treatments, V 2 (18.96 g/plant) outperformed V 1 and V 0 . The interaction treatment F 3 V 1 resulted in the highest dry matter accumulation (20.27 g/plant). These results align with the findings of Dwivedi et al. (2024) [5] , who noted improved dry matter production in chickpea under integrated nutrient regimes due to enhanced nutrient synchrony, better root development, and improved photosynthetic activity.

Pod number is a vital yield-determining trait and was significantly influenced by nutrient treatments. The maximum number of pods per plant (53.84) was recorded under F 3 V 2 , while F 3 alone produced 52.32 pods and V 2 yielded 52.41 pods (Table 2). These findings are supported by Patel et al. (2025) [14] and Kumar et al. (2024) [11] , who reported enhanced pod formation under integrated nutrient management due to improved flowering, better nutrient partitioning, and stronger sink strength during the reproductive phase. The number of seeds per pod increased significantly with both NPK and vermicompost levels. F 3 and V 2 each produced 2.32 and 2.24 seeds per pod, respectively, with the highest value of 2.52 recorded under the F 3 V 2 combination (Table 2). This result is consistent with the findings of Zala et al. (2024) [20] and Uçar et al. (2020) [18] , who demonstrated that integrated nutrient management and microbial inoculants positively influence reproductive development by enhancing pollen viability, fertilization efficiency, and pod filling. Seed yield per plant was significantly higher in integrated treatments, particularly F 3 V 1 (19.26 g/plant) and F 3 V 2 (16.93 g/plant), compared to F 1 V 0 (12.80 g/plant). Similarly, 100-seed weight (seed index) peaked under F 3 V 2 (21.20 g), followed by F 3 (20.66 g) and V 2 (20.61 g) (Table 2 & Fig. 2). This improvement is attributed to enhanced nutrient translocation, improved carbohydrate assimilation, and balanced phosphorus supply during the grain-filling phase (Chaudhary et al., 2022) [2] . Khan et al. (2021) [10] reported that integrated application of vermicompost and RDF improved seed quality by maintaining consistent nutrient flow during critical developmental stages. Both seed and straw yields were significantly influenced by the nutrient treatments. The highest seed yield (3297 kg/ha) and straw yield (6137 kg/ha) were recorded in F 3 V 2 , confirming the beneficial effect of integrated application (Table 2). F 3 alone produced 3138 kg/ha seed yield and 5932 kg/ha straw yield, while V 2 resulted in 3107 kg/ha and 5850 kg/ha, respectively. These findings align with earlier studies by Zala et al. (2024) [20] , Patel et al. (2025) [14] , and Chavan et al. (2023) [3] , which showed that combining vermicompost with fertilizers enhanced both vegetative and reproductive biomass by improving soil microbial dynamics, nutrient availability, and water retention.

Harvest Index (HI) represents the partitioning efficiency of total biomass into economic yield. While the differences in HI were modest, the maximum HI (34.60%) was recorded in F 3 V 2 , indicating a slightly improved partitioning under integrated nutrient application (Table 2). F 3 and V 2 individually recorded 34.48% and 34.41%, respectively. This aligns with the findings of Pathak et al. (2022) [13] , who documented modest but statistically significant improvements in HI under INM, driven by more efficient translocation of photosynthates.

Conclusion

The experiment demonstrated that integrated nutrient management using 100% RDF in combination with 100% vermicompost significantly enhanced the growth, yield attributes, and productivity of chickpea. The V2F3 treatment consistently outperformed others across growth stages, pod development, seed traits, and yield parameters. These findings underscore the synergistic effect of INM in improving nutrient use efficiency and soil health. Vermicompost not only supplements plant nutrients but also improves microbial activity, soil texture, and water retention. Adopting INM practices can be a sustainable approach to address yield stagnation and environmental concerns in pulse production systems.

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