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Influence of phosphorus and seaweed extract on growth, yield, and economics of Kharif pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) in coastal saline West Bengal


Citation :- Influence of phosphorus and seaweed extract on growth, yield, and economics of Kharif pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) in coastal saline West Bengal. Crop Res. 60: 36-370
SUJAN SAHA, URJASHI BHATTACHARYA, PIYUSH KUMAR GHOSH, AAKASH GHOSH AND SAGAR MAITRA urjashi.bhattacharya@tnu.in
Address : Department of Agronomy and Agroforestry, School of Agriculture and Allied Sciences, The Neotia University, Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas-743 368, West Bengal, India
Submitted Date : 1-09-2025
Accepted Date : 27-09-2025

Abstract

Pigeon pea acts as an effective Kharif crop in places suffering from abiotic stresses. The seaweed extracts as biostimulants pose an eco-friendly alternative to chemical fertilisers by boosting agricultural productivity and tolerating environmental stress. Based on the above facts, an experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2023-24 in the coastal saline zone of West Bengal to evaluate the effects of phosphorus doses along with seaweed extract on the growth and productivity of pigeon pea. The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design, with seven treatments replicated thrice. In this study, the treatments included were control, 40, 50, and 60 kg P₂O₅/ha alone; and 40, 50, and 60 kg P₂O₅/ha with 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4% seaweed extract, respectively. It was found that the application of  60 kg P2O5/ha + 0.4% seaweed extract resulted in significantly higher growth parameters such as plant height, number of nodules/plant and number of branches/plant at different growth stages, and yield attributes, namely, number of pods/plant (222), number of grains/pod (3.97), number of seeds/ plant (889) and 1000-grain weight (86.70 g). The same treatment registered the highest grain (1516 kg/ha) and stover (3841 kg/ha) yields, along with net monetary return (INR 75982) and B:C ratio (2.91) over the rest of the treatments. The study concludes that the application of 60 kg P2O5/ha + 0.4% seaweed extract can be recommended to the pigeon pea farmers in the coastal zone of West Bengal for enhancing growth, productivity and economic return.

Keywords

Biostimulants growth parameters pigeon pea root nodules yield attributes


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