FERTIGATION HELPS IN INCREASING PHOSPHORUS USE EFFICIENCY OF WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL METHOD

Phosphorus use efficiency is low and ranges between 10-20% among macro fertilizers. It fixes into the soil hence decreases its availability to current crops. The hiking prices of phosphatic fertilizer and shortage at sowing of wheat limited its application. Many efforts have been made to improve its efficiency. Fertigation among these efforts offers a practical solution to improve its efficiency. Therefore this study was planned to compare the efficiency of P fertigation at first and second irrigation with P broadcasting at sowing time (farmers’ conventional practice). Recommended dose (90 kg ha^-1) of phosphorus fertilizer was applied and treatments used in this experiment included, control, recommended dose (RD) of P through broadcast before sowing, ½ of RD of P through soil at sowing and ½ fertigation at first irrigation, ½ of RD of P through fertigation at second irrigation, ¾ of RD of P through fertigation at first irrigation and RD of P through fertigation at first irrigation. The three years results revealed that phosphorus application through fertigation at first irrigation increased number of spikes m^-2, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) and significantly higher wheat grain yield (4.64 t ha^-1) as compared to when it was applied through broadcast before sowing. The findings imply that P fertigation at first irrigation is equally significant even by application of ¾ recommended dose of P as compared to full recommended dose of P application through broadcast before sowing.