Evaluation of tillage practices, fertility levels and liquid biofertilizer on quality and productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Introduction

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world and serves as a staple food for nearly 35-40 per cent of the global population. It is known as the king of cereal and distinguished by its nutritional richness. Wheat emerges as a nutritional powerhouse, boasting a composition that includes 8.0-15.0% protein, 60-68% starch, 1.5-2.0% fat, 2.0-2.5% cellulose, and 1.5-2.0% minerals. Its versatility and nutritional value make it a cornerstone of diets worldwide. It is a dietary mainstay for millions of Indians, providing a significant portion of their daily caloric intake (Parewa et al. 2019) [6] . Wheat-based products, such as chapati and bread, are dietary staples, making it a crucial source of carbohydrates and nutrition. In India, wheat occupies a pivotal position in the agricultural economy and is the second most important food grain after rice, playing a vital role in ensuring national food security. Achieving higher wheat productivity with superior grain quality has become increasingly challenging due to deteriorating soil health, imbalanced fertiliser use, intensive cultivation practices and declining resource-use efficiency. Among the various agronomic interventions, tillage practices greatly influence soil physical properties, moisture conservation, nutrient availability, root development and microbial activity, thereby affecting crop growth, productivity and grain quality. Conventional tillage generally provides favourable soil conditions for crop establishment, whereas conservation tillage practices are increasingly being promoted for sustainable crop production and resource conservation. Likewise, balanced fertiliser application is essential for maintaining optimal nutrient availability, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency, improving protein synthesis, and increasing grain yield and quality. Application of appropriate fertility levels not only improves nutrient use efficiency but also sustains soil fertility and crop productivity (Jat et al., 2023) [3] . In recent years, liquid biofertilizers have emerged as eco-friendly and sustainable nutrient management tools because they enhance nutrient solubilization, biological nitrogen fixation, the production of plant growth-promoting substances, and nutrient uptake, ultimately improving crop productivity and grain quality (Terefe et al., 2018) [8] , while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers.

Materials and Methods

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season at the Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Ummedganj, Kota, Rajasthan. The experimental field was characterised by clay loam soil. The study was laid out in a split-split plot design with four replications. The treatments comprised three tillage practices, namely conventional tillage, minimum tillage, and zero tillage, assigned to the main plots; three fertility levels, viz., 125%, 100%, and 75% of the recommended dose of fertilizers, allocated to the sub-plots; and two liquid biofertilizer treatments, namely no biofertilizer and NPK liquid biofertilizer, assigned to the subsub plots. The wheat variety Raj 4079 was sown at a seed rate www.extensionjournal.com of 100 kg/ha with a row spacing of 22.5 cm. The recommended doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were supplied through urea, diammonium phosphate, and muriate of potash, respectively. Fertilizers were applied by the broadcasting method according to the treatment plot. The entire quantity of phosphorus and potassium, along with half of the recommended nitrogen, was applied as a basal dose at the time of sowing, whereas the remaining half of the nitrogen was top-dressed at the first irrigation to ensure a continuous supply of nutrients during the critical stages of crop growth. The NPK liquid biofertilizer was applied as a seed treatment before sowing following the recommended protocol. All other recommended agronomic and plant protection practices were adopted uniformly across the experimental plots throughout the cropping season to ensure healthy crop growth and eliminate any confounding effects of crop management.

Results and Discussion

The quality parameters of wheat, viz., protein content, protein yield, starch content, total sugars, reducing sugars and nonreducing sugars, were influenced by tillage practices, fertility levels and liquid biofertilizer (Table 1). Among the tillage practices, conventional tillage recorded significantly higher protein content and protein yield over zero tillage and remained statistically at par with minimum tillage. However, the effect of tillage practices on total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars was found to be non-significant. Among the fertility levels, application of 125% RDF recorded significantly higher protein content, protein yield, total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars, which remained statistically at par with 100% RDF and superior to 75% RDF. Application of NPK liquid biofertilizer significantly improved all quality parameters compared with no biofertilizer. The productivity of wheat, as measured by grain yield and straw yield, was significantly influenced by tillage practices, fertility levels and liquid biofertilizer (Table 2). Conventional tillage recorded significantly higher grain yield (55.20 q/ha), straw yield (70.92 q/ha) and biological yield over zero tillage and remained statistically at par with minimum tillage. The superior productivity under conventional tillage may be attributed to better seedbed preparation, improved soil aeration, greater moisture conservation, enhanced root proliferation and efficient absorption of nutrients, which collectively promoted higher dry matter production and yield (Sumitra et.al. 2024, and Para et al. 2025) [7,5] . Among the fertility levels, application of 125% RDF produced significantly higher grain yield (55.42 q/ha) and straw yield (71.64 q/ha), remaining statistically at par with 100% RDF and significantly superior to 75% RDF. The increased productivity under higher fertility levels was mainly due to the adequate availability of essential nutrients throughout the crop growth period, leading to enhanced vegetative growth, increased photosynthetic efficiency, greater dry matter accumulation and efficient partitioning of assimilates towards grain formation (Meena et al. 2023, Athnere et al. 2024) [4,1] . Similarly, application of NPK liquid biofertilizer significantly increased grain yield (49.91 q/ha) and straw yield over no biofertilizer. The beneficial effect of NPK liquid biofertilizer may be attributed to improved nutrient solubilization and uptake, enhanced microbial activity in the rhizosphere and increased nutrient use efficiency, resulting in higher biomass production and grain yield. (Chauhan 2014, Trivedi et al. 2020) [2,9] .

Conclusion

Among the tillage practices, conventional tillage recorded the highest productivity (55.20 & 70.92 q/ha, grain & straw yield, respectively), protein content (11.72%) and protein yield (646.85 kg/ha), followed by minimum tillage, whereas zero tillage resulted in significantly lower performance. However, the effect of tillage practices on total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars was found to be non-significant. Among the fertility levels, application of 125% RDF produced the highest quality parameters, grain yield (55.42 q/ha) and straw yield, which remained statistically at par with 100% RDF, while 75% RDF recorded the lowest values. Similarly, application of NPK liquid biofertilizer significantly improved grain yield (49.91 q/ha), straw yield, protein content (11.69%), protein yield, total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars over control (no biofertilizers).

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