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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

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

Effect of urea and muriate of potash on leaf petiole nutrient content and yield of papaya in Gangetic Plains of Bihar, India

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13907
Submitted
30 January 2026
Published
01-07-2026

Abstract

A two-year experiment was carried out at Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India, to evaluate the influence of urea and muriate of potash (MoP) on the nutrient composition of leaf petioles, growth and yield of papaya. The experiment followed a factorial randomized block design with 2 factors: 3 levels of urea (0, 100 and 200 g per plant) as the first factor and 3 levels of MoP (0, 200 and 400 g per plant) as the second factor. Pooled mean data from 2 years of the experiment indicated that different levels of urea and MoP significantly influence the petiole nutrient content, growth and yield of papaya. Petiole calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) content shows an inverse relation with urea application. Application of urea at 200 g per plant significantly reduced mean phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) contents of petiole, along with mean plant height, stem thickness and fruit yield, compared to 100 g per plant. The maximum fruit yield (44.65 t ha-¹) was obtained with the application of 100 g urea + 400 g MoP per plant, which was statistically non-significant with 100 g urea + 200 g MoP. Petiole K exhibited a strong positive correlation with fruit yield (r=0.83, p=0.01), although it remained below the critical range required for optimum papaya productivity. The findings suggest that balanced nitrogen (N) and K fertilisation, optimises nutrient assimilation and yield performance in papaya under alluvial soils of Gangetic Plains of Bihar, India.

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