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Nitrogen Requirements at Different Growth Stages of Short‐duration Pigeonpea ( Cajanus cajan L. Millsp) 1
Author(s) -
Kumar Rao J. V. D. K.,
Johansen C.,
Usha Kiran M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of agronomy and crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.095
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-037X
pISSN - 0931-2250
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-037x.1995.tb01125.x
Subject(s) - vertisol , entisol , alfisol , inceptisol , cajanus , agronomy , mollisol , biology , fertilizer , nitrogen fixation , soil water , field experiment , ecology , genetics , bacteria
Abstract The response to N fertilization of a short‐duration pigeonpea genotype, ICPL 87, was studied in the field to assess the scope for genetically improving symbiotic N 2 fixation by pigeonpea. The field study was undertaken during 1985, 1986 and 1987 growing seasons on Vertisol and Alfisol at ICRISAT Center (peninsular India), Inceptisol at Gwalior (central India) and Entisol at Hisar (northern India) in as non‐limiting environmental conditions as possible. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied to the soil at various growth stages to determine when N becomes most limiting. There was a significant response in grain yield to fertilizer N applied at flowering in Vertisol but not in Alfisol, Inceptisol or Entisol. This suggests that biological N 2 fixation by short‐duration pigeonpea was not adequate to meet N requirements of the crop grown in Vertisol but that it was probably adequate in the other three soil types. These results are discussed in relation to the nodulation and acetylene reductase activity of pigeonpea and also N mineralization potential of different soils. It can be concluded that there is a need for genetic improvement of N 2 fixing ability of short‐duration pigeonpea grown on heavy textured soils such as Vertisols.