Response of Mustard (Brassica. Sp) to Fertilization Variants and Soil-Plant Nitrogen Accumulations

Abstract

A field study was carried out to determine the soil and plant N status affected by soil application of different fertility levels in mustard (Brassica. Sp). The treatments included i.e. 0-0-0, 60-0-0, 60-20-0, 60-20-10, 60-30-0, 60-30-10, 60-30-20 kg NPK / acre -1 and 60-30-20+4 kg NPK+ Zn acre-1. The results revealed that the soil N was highest at 0-15 cm depth (0.08%) under highest NPK rate (60-30-20 kg) with 4 kg Zn acre -1 and at 15-30 cm depth (0.041%) under NPK rates of 60-30- 20 kg ha-1. In all the cases, the values were lowest under control, where soil N application was zero. The plant N analysis indicates that straw N content was significantly higher (2.67%) in plants receiving NPK levels as 60-30-10 kg ha-1, followed by straw N content of 2.64, 2.66, 2.51, 2.48 and 2.43%, recorded in mustard plants fertilized with 60-30-20, 60-30-20-4 (Zn), 60-30-0, 60-0-0, 60-20-10 and 60-20-0 kg NPK ha'1, respectively. However, the lowest straw N content of 1.217 % was noted in control plants, where no fertilizer was applied. Grain N content was significantly higher i.e. 2.33, 2.29, 2.28, 2.27 and 2.27 % when plants received NPK at the rate of 60-30-0, 60-30-50-4 (Zn), 60-0-0, 60-30-10 and 60-30-20 kg ha-1, respectively. The grain N content was slightly lower 2.23% and 2.17% when mustard plants were fertilized with NPK at the rates of 60-20-10 and 60-20-0 kg ha-1, respectively. However, the minimum grain N content of 1.27% was noted in plants receiving no fertilizers.