Response of greengram-safflower cropping sequence to phosphorus management in relation to yield, nutrient uptake and phosphorus use efficiency in Vertisols
Field experiment was conducted during 2006-2007 to study the effect of phosphorus management in greengram-safflower sequence in a Vertisol. The twelve treatments and three replications designed in RBD consisted of 100% RDF (20:40:20 NPK kg/ ha to greengram and 25:25:25 NPK kg/ ha to safflower), 50% recommended P, No P, 50% recommended P + PSB (25 g/ kg seed), 5 t FYM/ ha, 5 t FYM/ ha + PSB applied in various combinations to greengram in <italic>kharif</italic> and safflower in <italic>rabi</italic> season. The results indicated that application of 100 % recommended P along with recommended N and K significantly enhanced the yield of greengram and safflower. However, these results were comparable with application of 50 % P (20 kg/ ha to greengram and 12.5 kg/ ha to safflower) + PSB along with recommended dose of N (20 kg/ ha to greengram and 25 kg/ ha to safflower) and K (20 kg/ ha to greengram and 25 kg/ ha to safflower) to greengram and safflower in crop productivity with higher nutrient uptake and apparent nutrient balance. The higher P use efficiency was observed with the application of 50 % recommended P to both the crops alongwith PSB.