Effect of Phosphorus on Growth, Yield and Yield Contributing Characters of Mungbean

Abstract

Phosphorus plays an important role in rooting and fruiting, and most of the biochemical activities in plants. A field experiment was carried out at the farm of Department of Soil Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Patuakhali, Bangladesh in 2013 to study the effect of phosphorus on the growth, yield and yield contributing characters of mungbean (Vigna radiata). The experiment was laid out in RCBD with three replications. Four levels of P (0, 20, 40, 60 kg/ha) and having a common Rhizobium inoculant. Growth, yield and yield contributing characters of mungbean were significantly increased due to P application compared to control. Phosphorus@ 40 kg ha-1 showed the highest performance in respect of plant height, leaves plant-1, branches plant-1, root length, leaves area, dry weight of shoot, dry weight of root, yield contributing attributes viz. number of pod per plant, pod length, number of seed pod-1, thousand seed weight and seed yield ha-1 of mungbean. Judicious application of phosphorus is supposed to result in better nodulation and efficient functioning of nodulated bacteria for fixation of atmospheric nitrogen to be utilized by plant, which in turn leads to increase in seed yield.