Symbiotic Parameters, Growth, Productivity and Profitability of Chickpea as Influenced by Zinc Sulphate and Urea Application

The present investigation was undertaken with objectives of studying the effect of soil and foliar applied zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) and foliar application of urea on symbiotic characters, growth parameters, yield attributes, grain yield and economics in chickpea. A 2-year field experiment was conducted with six zinc sulphate and three urea application treatments. In the case of foliar applications, both ZnSO4 (0.5%) and urea (2%) were sprayed to foliage at flowering and flowering + pod formation stages. The maximum plant height, number of branches, chlorophyll content, number and dry weight of nodules, leghaemoglobin content, yield attributes, grain yield (1935 and 1955 kg ha(-1) in first and second year of study), net returns (US$ 722.71 and 855.71 ha(-1)) and benefit cost ratio (1.40 and 1.63) were recorded with soil application of ZnSO4 (25 kg ha(-1)) at sowing + foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.5%) at flowering and pod formation stages. Foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.5%) alone at flowering + pod formation stages was also equally effective in improving these parameters. Urea spray (2%) at flowering + pod formation stages resulted in the highest symbiotic parameters, growth attributes, yield attributes, grain yield (1920 and 1939 kg ha(-1)), net returns (US$ 720.22 and 851.59 ha(-1)) and B/C ratio (1.41 and 1.65) which remained statistically similar with foliar spray of urea (2%) at flowering stage alone. The application of zinc sulphate and urea deserves a special attention for increasing productivity and profitability of chickpea.