EFFECT OF SOWING DEPTHS, NITROGEN PLACEMENT METHODS AND BIOCHAR ON QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ATTRIBUTES OF SUGAR BEET AND ITS WEEDS

Sowing depths and fertilizer application have key roles in sugar beet production. Thus, to quantify the effects of sowing depth, N fertilizer and biochar, experiments were conducted at SCRI Mardan for consecutive two years. Sugar beet variety KWS-1451 was seeded at the rate of 6 kg ha^-1 at four sowing depths (1cm, 2cm, 3cm and 4cm). Nitrogen at the rate of 140 kg ha^-1 was either broadcasted or banded in plots having 25 or 50 t biochar ha-1, a control treatment was also included in the experiment. Sowing depths significantly affected the studied parameters except weeds m^-2. Sugar beet closed to soil surface showed maximum germination resulted in increased yield production. Mean maximum foliage yield (68.59 t ha^-1), beet yield (79.75 t ha^-1), total biomass yield 137.27 t ha^-1) and sugar yield (12.18 t ha^-1) were recorded in sugar beet planted at 2 cm depth. Nitrogen band placement method significantly affected yield productivity of sugar beet. Mean maximum weeds m^-2 (5.53), foliage yield (71.72 t ha^-1), beet yield (83.65 t ha-1), total biomass yield (144.27 t ha^-1) and sugar yield (13.30 t ha^-1) were obtained by banded fertilizer placement. Biochar integration @ of 50 t ha^-1 significantly improved soil fertility resulted maximum weeds m^-2 (5.50), foliage yield (69.61 t ha^-1), beet yield (81.90 t ha^-1), total biomass yield (143.93 t ha^-1) and sugar yield (12.89 t ha^-1). The combined application of nitrogen and biochar showed mean maximum weeds m^-2 (5.53), foliage yield (73.42 t ha-1), beet yield (84.12 t ha-1), total biomass yield (145.61 t ha^-1) and sugar yield (11.83 t ha-1) when banded nitrogen was integrated with 50 t ha-1 biochar. In conclusion, banded nitrogen having 50 t ha^-1 biochar at 2 cm depth produced higher yield and represented as the optimum combination for higher production of sugar beet in the study area.