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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Quality, productivity and phosphorus use efficiency of groundnut under varied sowing dates and different sources of nitrogen and phosphorus

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11066
Submitted
2 August 2025
Published
14-07-2026

Abstract

Timely sowing is one of the most important agronomic factors influencing the growth, development and yield potential of crops. Since the optimum sowing time, along with balanced nutrient management, plays a crucial role in maximising crop productivity, a field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, during the rabi-summer season of 2024 to determine the optimum sowing time and nitrogen-phosphorus (NP) combinations for groundnut. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design, keeping three sowing dates in the main plot and six NP combinations in the subplots. All growth parameters, yield attributes, quality, yield and economic characters were highest when groundnut was sown on 17th January. Among NP combinations, with the use of farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost (as a source of nitrogen (N) (in equivalent ratio), single superphosphate (SSP) and rock phosphate as a source of phosphorous (P) (in equivalent ratio) in addition to 7.5 kg ha-1 phosphate-solubilising bacteria (PSB) as soil application was found to be the best in all aspects. Among the sowing-date treatments, the highest pod yield of 11.9 q ha-1 and kernel yield of 8.4 q ha-1 was recorded in D2. Likewise, the highest oil content (49.8 %) and protein (20.3 %) content was also under this treatment. Among the NP combinations, treatment NP4 produced the highest oil (51.6 %) and protein (22.6 %) contents in the kernels, with a pod yield of 12.2 q ha-1. In both the sowing-date and NP combination treatments, the highest values of P recovery and P harvest index of 5.5 and 15.8, were found in D2  and NP4 respectively. Early sowing at 3rd SMW was found to be optimal for achieving maximum pod and kernel yield of groundnut as compare with the other sowing window in this part of Odisha. The use of rock phosphate and SSP in equal proportion and FYM and VC in equal proportions as a source of P and N respectively along with soil application of PSB (7.5 kg ha -1) produced the highest pod and oil yield. This treatment was also found to be the best in terms of P use efficiency and P recovery when sown during 3rd standard meteorological week (SMW).

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