Abstract

Oilseed crops can be cultivated widely in different agro-ecological conditions for the oil content in their seeds. Among different oilseeds, sunflower, is a vital edible oilseed that needs well-balanced nutrition for achieving enhanced oil quality and productivity. Considering the above, a field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2021-22 on sandy loam soil at Experimental Farm of Centurion University of Technology and Management to investigate the effect of nutrients on growth yield and quality of sunflower under southern Odisha conditions. The field experiment was carried out in randomized block design with ten treatments, viz., T1 : N100P100K100S100, T2: N0P100K100S100, T3: N100P0K100S100, T4: N100P100K0S100, T5: N100P100K100S0, T6: N100P0K0S0, T7: N0P100K0S0, T8: N0P0K100S0, T9: N0P0K0S100 and T10: Control. The findings revealed that the application of 80, 60, 40, 25 kg/ha N: P2O5: K2O: S (T1) registered superior performance in terms of growth, yield and yield attributes as compared to the control plot (T10). Interestingly, experimental results from treatment T5 (N100P100K100S0) were statistically at par with the results of Treatment T1 (N100P100K100S100) in enhancing growth and yield parameters and seed yield of sunflower. The yield enhancement in the omission treatments was in the order of NPKS> S>K>PKS>P>N>NPS>NKS>NPK>Control. The research findings clearly showed the importance of primary nutrients and sulphur on the growth and productivity of sunflower.