Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and yield of Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.) under Bundelkhand Region

Introduction

Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the most important winter season pulse and vegetable legume crops cultivated in temperate and subtropical regions of the world. It is valued for its high nutritive quality, digestible protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, making it an important component of human diet and nutritional security (Fatima et al., 2020) [1] . Green peas are consumed fresh, frozen, canned and dehydrated, while dry peas are used as pulse and feed. Pea plays a vital role in sustainable agriculture due to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiosis with Rhizobium leguminosarum, thereby reducing dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and improving soil fertility for succeeding crops (Mankar et al., 2019) [8] . Inclusion of legumes in cropping systems improves soil aggregation, microbial activity and nutrient cycling (Peoples et al., 2009) [10] . Globally, pea is cultivated on millions of hectares and contributes substantially to food systems. In India, pea is grown widely in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and West Bengal. However, yield levels in semi-arid regions such as Bundelkhand remain below potential because of poor soil fertility, low organic carbon, moisture stress and imbalanced fertilizer use. Continuous dependence on chemical fertilizers alone often results in nutrient mining, declining soil organic matter, low nutrient use efficiency and environmental concerns (Ladha et al., 2005) [6] . Therefore, integrated nutrient management (INM) has emerged as a sustainable strategy for maintaining productivity while preserving soil health. INM involves the combined use of inorganic fertilizers, organic manures and biofertilizers to optimize nutrient supply and improve crop response (Mahajan et al., 2008) [7] . Farmyard manure improves soil structure, moisture retention, cation exchange capacity and micronutrient availability. Biofertilizers such as Rhizobium and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) improve nitrogen fixation and phosphorus availability, respectively (Richardson et al., 2009) [14] . Foliar nutrition at critical growth stages may further enhance reproductive efficiency and sink strength. Several studies have shown that integrated application of fertilizers, FYM and biofertilizers significantly improves growth, nodulation, yield attributes and seed yield in pea and other legumes (Qureshi et al., 2015; Sharma et al., 2018; Kimi et al., 2021; Ghosh et al., 2022) [13,15,3,2] . Under Bundelkhand conditions, such nutrient management options require locationspecific evaluation. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to study the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and yield of field pea.

Materials and Methods

The field experiment was conducted during Rabi 2025-26 in Bundelkhand region, Lalitpur district of, Uttar Pradesh, India. Recommended fertilizer dose for pea was 25:60:40 kg N:P₂O₅:K₂O ha -1 . Standard agronomic practices were followed. Data were statistically analysis of variance ANOVA appropriate for Randomized Block Design as described by Panse and Sukhatme (1985) [11] .

Observations Recorded

To evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management treatments on growth, yield attributes and yield of field pea, observations were recorded at different crop growth stages following standard procedures. Five representative plants were randomly selected from each net plot for biometric observations, and final yield observations were recorded on plot basis.

Plant height was measured from the base of the plant to the tip of the main shoot using a meter scale at 30 DAS, 60 DAS and at harvest. The mean value was expressed in centimetres.

Number of Branches Plant⁻¹

The number of primary branches arising from the main stem was counted from five tagged plants at harvest stage, and the average was calculated.

Five plants were uprooted randomly from each plot at 30 DAS, 60 DAS and harvest. Plant samples were oven dried at 65 ± 2 °C until constant weight and expressed as dry matter accumulation in g m⁻².

Yield Attributes 2.1.2.1 Number of Pods Plant⁻¹

At harvest, pods from five randomly selected plants were counted and the average number of pods per plant was computed.

Number of Seeds Pod⁻¹

Ten pods were randomly selected from each plot, seeds were counted and average seeds per pod were calculated.

One hundred seeds from each treatment were counted and weighed using an electronic balance. The weight was expressed in grams.

The crop from net plot area was harvested separately, dried, threshed and cleaned. Seed yield from each plot was recorded and converted into kg ha⁻¹.

After threshing, the remaining plant biomass was sun dried and weighed. The straw yield was converted into kg ha⁻¹.

Biological yield was calculated by adding seed yield and straw yield.

Harvest index was calculated using the following formula:

Results and Discussion

The data presented in Table 1. indicated that plant height of field pea increased progressively with crop growth and was significantly influenced by integrated nutrient management treatments at all growth stages. The significantly highest plant height at 30 DAS, 60 DAS and harvest was recorded under T₄ -75% RDF + Rhizobium + PSB (20.5, 47.1 and 60.3 cm, respectively), which was statistically at par with T₅ -75% RDF + 1% N spray at flower initiation & pod formation (20.0, 46.5 and 59.1 cm, respectively) and T₂ -125% RDF (19.8, 45.6 and 58.9 cm, respectively). At 30 DAS, T₄ was also at par with T₃ -100% RDF + 1% N spray at pod formation (19.2 cm). However, these treatments were significantly superior over the remaining treatments. The lowest plant height at all stages was recorded under T₉ -Control (16.5, 36.9 and 48.2 cm, respectively). The increased plant height under integrated nutrient management treatments may be attributed to balanced nutrient availability, enhanced biological nitrogen fixation by Rhizobium, phosphorus solubilization by PSB, improved root growth and better nutrient uptake, which collectively promoted vigorous vegetative growth throughout the crop growth period. Similar increases in plant height under integrated nutrient management in pea were reported by Sharma et al. (2018) [15] , Kimi et al. (2021) [3] and Ghosh et al. (2022) [2] . [13] and Kurbah and Thomas (2017) [4] .

Dry Matter Accumulation

The data presented in Table 2 indicated that dry matter accumulation increased progressively with crop growth and was significantly influenced by integrated nutrient management treatments at all stages of observation. The significantly highest dry matter accumulation at 30 DAS, 60 DAS and harvest was recorded under T₄ -75% RDF + Rhizobium + PSB (116, 364 and 644 g m⁻², respectively), which was statistically at par with T₅ -75% RDF + 1% N spray at flower initiation & pod formation (113, 357 and 631 g m⁻², respectively) and T₂ -125% RDF (108, 342 and 607 g m⁻², respectively). However, these treatments were significantly superior over the remaining treatments. The lowest dry matter accumulation at all stages was recorded under T₉ -Control (76, 242 and 432 g m⁻², respectively). The increased dry matter production under integrated nutrient management treatments might be due to continuous nutrient availability, better canopy development, enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and improved translocation of assimilates, resulting in greater biomass accumulation throughout the crop growth period.

Yield Attributes

The data presented in Table 3 [12] , Sharma et al. (2018) [15] and Ghosh et al. (2022) [2] . (2016) [16] , Kimi et al. (2021) [3] and Ghosh et al. (2022) [2] .

Conclusion

Integrated nutrient management significantly enhanced growth, yield attributes and yield of field pea under Bundelkhand conditions. Application of 75% RDF + Rhizobium + PSB was the most effective treatment and may be recommended for sustainable and profitable cultivation of field pea under Bundelkhand condition.

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