Response of phosphorus and sulphur on yield and economics of greengram (Vigna radiata L.)

Introduction

In the global farming system, pulses have a special significance. Protein, vitamins, fiber, minerals (iron, zinc, and magnesium), and essential amino acids are all abundant in pulses and are crucial for human health (Yadav et al. 2017) [33] . After cereals, pulses are the second most significant food crop in terms of food security. One of the best sources of protein in the diet is pulses. An important source of protein in the Indian diet is pulses. Through symbiotic nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere and a proliferation of soil microbes, pulses improve soil and human health. With over 35% of the world's land, 25% of its output, and 27% of its consumption, India is the world's biggest producer and consumer of pulses (GOI 2021) [9] . India produces 23.15 million tonnes of pulses annually on 31.04 million hectares of land (Patel et al. 2020) [24] . Conversely, pulse production is unable to meet the nation's demand. One of the major traditional pulse crops planted in India during the Zaid and Kharif seasons is greengram. Between the Rabi and Kharif seasons, it can be planted as a catch crop. Greengram has 334 calories per 100 grams. With crude protein (24.0%), fat (1.3%), carbohydrates (56.6%), minerals (3.5%), lysine (0.43%), methionine (0.10%), and tryptophan (0.04%), it is renowned for having a high nutritious value. A daily minimum of 40 grams is advised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Its short growing time allows it to fit into intercropping systems with a variety of crops, and its high tonnage capacity and versatility exceptional food, feed, and fodder nutritional properties. In underdeveloped nations like India, pulses are frequently referred to as "poor man's meat" since they are less expensive than meat (Patel et al. 2017) [20] . In India, green gram is farmed in dry and semi-arid regions. Other names for this plant include golden gram, Mungbean, mung, and mungo. In India, Mungbean farming comes in third place, after the production of chickpeas and pigeon peas. Its roots can be found in Southeast Asia and Indo-Burma. It is a great source of high-quality protein, riboflavin, and thiamine since it includes 25-28% protein, 1.0-1.4% oil, 3.3% fiber, 4.8-5.6% ash, and 64-66% carbohydrates by dry weight. India is one of the world's leading producers of Greengram, which is grown in almost all the states. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, and Karnataka are major states that produce Mungbean (Singh et al. 2015) [3] . In India, Mungbean (Greengram) is grown on an average of 5.1 million hectares, with a yield of 583 kg/ha and a production of about 2.98 million tons. With a productivity of 492 kg/ha, Rajasthan tops the states in both area and output, accounting for almost 48% of the total area and 40% of the overall production. Following Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh produced over 0.66 lakh tons of Greengram (moong) on an area of about 1.12 lakh hectares, with an average productivity of 590 kg per hectare. Kumar and associates (2023) [16] . Large amounts of phosphorus are required in the early phases of cell division; the first general indication is weak, slow, and stunted growth. Some plants have symptoms of dark to bluegreen coloration on their older leaves because phosphorus is relatively mobile in plants and can be moved to areas of new growth. Purpling of the leaves and stems may occur in cases of severe shortage. By restricting plant growth, phosphorus deficit results in delayed maturity and poor seed and fruit development, which lowers production (Singh et al., 2015) [3] . The most important nutrient for pulse crops is phosphorus. It promotes the bacterial cell's symbiotic nitrogen fixation to root hair for nodulation. Phosphorus availability in Indian soils ranges from poor to medium. Only around 30% of the phosphorus that is applied can be used by crops, with the other portion becoming insoluble. Continuous replacement of soluble P from inorganic and organic sources is required to meet the crop's phosphorus requirements since the concentration of accessible P in the soil solution is typically insufficient to maintain plant growth. The growth and development of crops, particularly pulses, depend on the element sulfur. For pulse crops to synthesize proteins and vitamins, sulfur is necessary. Additionally, sulfur has been shown to increase nodulation activity in legumes, which increases N2 fixation. Throughout the Greengram growing season, sulfur has an impact on the plant's height, branches, nodulation, number of pods, and grains per pod (Kumar et al. 2013) [22] . Sulphur also effects the dry matter accumulation and also influences the phosphorus and Sulphur uptake by the plant. Singh and colleagues (2017) [33] . Since sulfur is a primary source of three amino acids chitin, cysteine, and methionine it is crucial for plants to produce protein. Additionally, sulfur is linked to improved pulse market quality and nutritional value.

Materials and Methods

A field study in alluvial soil was carried out at the Department of Agronomy's Crop Research Farm, SHUATS, Prayagraj, U.P., during the Zaid season of 2025. The experimental field soil had a sandy loam texture, a moderately basic response (pH 7.2), medium levels of available organic carbon (0.310%), low levels of available nitrogen (269.75 kg/ha), and extremely high levels of available potassium (246.4 kg/ha) and phosphorus (18.0 kg/ha). Ten treatments were used in the Randomized Block Design (RBD) experiment, which was repeated three times. On April 5, 2025, greengram seeds (Virat IPM 205-7) were planted at a distance of 30 cm by 10 cm. Nine treatment combinations and three replications were used in the Randomized Block Design trial. Ten treatments were used in the Randomized Block Design (RBD) experiment, which was repeated three times. viz., T1: Phosphorus 30 kg/ha along with Sulphur 20 kg/ha, T2: Phosphorus 40 kg/ha along with Sulphur 30 kg/ha, T3: Phosphorus at 50 kg/ha along with Sulphur 40 kg/ha, T4: Phosphorus 30 kg/ha along with Sulphur 20 kg/ha, T5: Phosphorus 40 kg/ha along with Sulphur 30 kg/ha, T6: Phosphorus 50 kg/ha along with Sulphur 40 kg/ha, T7: Phosphorus 30kg/ha along with Sulphur 20 kg/ha, T8: Phosphorus 40 kg/ha along with Sulphur 30 kg/ha, T9: Phosphorus 50 kg/ha along with Sulphur 40 kg/ha and T10: RDF: 20:40:60 NPK kg/ha as control.

Chemical analysis of soil

Before the experiment was set up, a composite soil sample was gathered to ascertain the initial soil properties. The soil sample was collected at a depth of 0 to 15 cm, allowed to air dry in the shade, pulverized using a wooden pestle and mortar, filtered through a 2 mm screen, and then used for analysis. Jackson (1973) [13] used the black approach to evaluate organic carbon availability, Subbiah and Asija used the alkaline permanganate method to determine available nitrogen, and Olsen et al. (1954) [19] used Olsen's colorimeter method to test phosphorus availability.

Statistical analysis

According to Gamez and Gomez (1984), a statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the collected experimental data. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), as it relates to randomized block design, was used to statistically examine the observed data of ten treatments. The 'F' test was significant at the 5% level, and Critical Difference (CD) values were calculated.

Results and Discussions Yield and yield attributes Number of pods per plant

The application of phosphorus 50 kg/ha and sulfur 40 kg/ha resulted in the significantly largest number of pods per plant (22.93) in (T9), which was shown to be statistically comparable to all treatments. But (T3) 30 kg/ha of phosphorus and 20 kg/ha of sulfur, (T5) 50 kg/ha of phosphorus and 15 kg/ha of sulfur, and (T6) 50 kg/ha of phosphorus and 40 kg/ha of sulfur. The maximum number of pods per plant after applying phosphorus may be the result of improved photosynthetic activity, enough light availability, a balanced supply of nutrients during the developing stage, and an increase in branches, which produce more pods per plant. Additionally, the use of sulfur may have increased the number of pods per plant because it is crucial for tissue differentiation, carbohydrate metabolism, and sugar translocation. Bharvi et al. (2015) [3] and Singh et al. (2015) [3] . One important plant nutrient that affects cell division, seed germination, flowering, fruiting, and the synthesis of fat and carbohydrates is sulfur. Additionally, the nutrient participates in a number of biochemical processes and regulates metabolic pathways, including enzyme reactions (Das et al., 2016) [7] .

Number of Seeds per pod

The treatment of 50 kg/ha of phosphorus and 40 kg/ha of sulfur resulted in the largest number of seeds per pod (8.20) in T9. Nonetheless, (T3) Phosphorus 30 kg/ha and Sulfur 20 kg/ha and (T6) Phosphorus 50 kg/ha and Sulfur 40 kg/ha were statistically comparable to the highest (T9) seed. The likely cause of these outcomes is that biofertilizer-inoculated seeds are wellnourished and capable of delivering sufficient nutrients and metabolites to the developing seedling. One important nutrient for plants, phosphorus affects cell division, seed germination, flowering, fruiting, and the synthesis of carbohydrates and fat. Additionally, the nutrient participates in a number of biochemical processes and regulates metabolic pathways, including enzyme reactions (Das et al., 2016) [7] .

The application of 50 kg/ha of phosphorus and 40 kg/ha of sulfur resulted in a higher test weight (38.22 g) in (T9). The maximum number of pods per plant after applying phosphorus may be the result of improved photosynthetic activity, enough light availability, a balanced supply of nutrients during the developing stage, and an increase in branches, which produce more pods per plant. Additionally, the use of sulfur may have increased the number of pods per plant because it is crucial for tissue differentiation, carbohydrate metabolism, and sugar translocation. Bharvi et al. (2015) [3] and Singh et al. (2015) [3] .

Table 1 presents statistical data. shown that the application of phosphorus 50 kg/ha and sulfur 40 kg/ha produced the maximum seed production (1794.66 kg/ha) in (T9), which was statistically comparable to treatments 8 (1365 kg/ha). These outcomes could be attributed to improved seed germination and a larger root system for nutrient uptake. The application of sulfur may also increase seed yield by improving cell walls, tissue differences, sugar transport, maintaining conducting tissue with regulatory effects on other elements, and metabolism of nucleic acids, carbohydrates, auxins, and phenols. Kumar et al. (2022) [15] observed similar findings. One important nutrient for plants, phosphorus affects cell division, seed germination, flowering, fruiting, and the synthesis of carbohydrates and fat. Additionally, the nutrient participates in a number of biochemical processes and regulates metabolic pathways, including enzyme reactions. Choudhary and associates (2015) [5] .

The information in Table 1. demonstrated that the application of phosphorus (50 kg/ha) and sulfur (40 kg/ha) produced the greatest stover production (2946.80 kg/ha) at harvest, which was found to be statistically comparable to the highest. Improved development in terms of seedling emergence, plant height, and dry matter accumulation, which increases photosynthetic efficiency, may be the cause of the noticeably higher stover yield following the application of phosphorus and sulfur. Superior vegetative development results from increased photosynthetic accumulation in vegetative components, which raises the stover production. Furthermore, vegetative development may be the cause of the enhanced stover output following the application of sulfur produce too many sites for the larger and noteworthy seed output attained with phosphorus application (20 kg/ha). This could be because of a welldeveloped root system and increased photosynthate transfer from source to sink. The application of sulfur had the combined impact of increasing plant height, number of leaves per plant, and number of branches per plant that is, enhanced growth parameters which led to an increase in straw yield. This result closely aligns with findings by Arun Raj et al. (2018) [2] , Parashar et al. (2020) [23] , Yadav et al. (2017) [33] , and Gajera et al. (2014) [11] .

The application of 50 kg/ha of phosphorus and 40 kg/ha of sulfur resulted in a significantly higher harvest index (31.08%) in (T9). Nonetheless, the minimum harvest index for all treatments was Control (28.14%), and there was no discernible difference between the treatments. When phosphorus levels were applied, there were more branches, which led to more pods. Weight of a thousand grains, which resulted in increased seed production through the optimization of photosynthesis, respiration, energy storage, transfer, cell division, and cell elongation These results were consistent with those of Choudhary et al. (2015) [5] .

Economics: Phosphorus and sulfur had a substantial impact on the cost of cultivations, gross returns, net returns, and benefit cost ratio in Greengram due to varying levels and treatments, as Table 2 illustrates.

In comparison to other treatments, the highest cultivation cost (41,630.00 INR/ha) was found in (T9) with application of phosphorus 50 kg/ha along with sulfur 40 kg/ha, while the lowest cultivation cost (37480 INR/ha) was found in (T1) with application of phosphorus 30 kg/ha along with sulfur 20 kg/ha.

When compared to other treatments, the highest gross return (125626.13 INR/ha) was found in (T9) with application of phosphorus 50 kg/ha along with sulfur 40 kg/ha, and the lowest gross return (61184.08 INR/ha) was found in (T1) with application of phosphorus 30 kg/ha along with sulfur 20 kg/ha.

In comparison to other treatments, the maximum net return (83996.13 INR/ha) was found in (T9) with the application of phosphorus 50 kg/ha and sulfur 40 kg/ha, while the lowest net return (23704.08 INR/ha) was found in (T1) with the application of phosphorus 30 kg/ha and sulfur 20 kg/ha.

Benefit cost ratio (B:C)

When compared to other treatments, the highest benefit cost ratio (2.02) was found in (T9) with the application of phosphorus 50 kg/ha along with sulfur 40 kg/ha, while the lowest benefit cost ratio (0.63) was found in (T1) with the application of phosphorus 30 kg/ha along with sulfur 20 kg/ha.

Conclusion

The application of phosphorus 50 kg/ha and sulfur 40 kg/ha (T9) in Greengram has the maximum grain production, gross return, net return, and benefit cost ratio, according to the results of a one-season trial.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Umesha C., Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, for his invaluable advice and provision of the necessary research facilities, which were crucial to the successful completion of this study.

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