EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF WATER-SOLUBLE NPK FOLIAR NUTRITION ON WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) YIELD AND PROFITABILITY THROUGH ON-FARM TESTING

Abstract

In this study, an on-farm testing was carried out on wheat fields in the Kota district during the rabi seasons of 2018-19 and 2019-20 to evaluate the impact of water-soluble NPK foliar sprays on wheat yield and profitability. The technology assessed in this research included the application of recommended doses of fertilizers (RDF- N 120, P 40 & ZnSo4 25 kg ha-1) combined with NPK 19:19:19 foliar sprays at a 0.5% concentration during the tillering and spike initiation stages of wheat growth. A local check was also performed with only the recommended doses of fertilizers, without the NPK foliar sprays. The results of the two-year study showed an 8.30% increase in grain yield when using RDF + two NPK foliar applications compared to the local check (48.99 q/ha). Furthermore, the RDF + NPK foliar sprays led to improvements in yield attributes such as the number of effective tillers (364/m2), the number of grains/ear (42.6), and test weight (45.14) compared to the local check, where these values were found to be 347, 39.5, and 44.03, respectively. The economic analysis revealed that the additional cost of two NPK foliar sprays was Rs. 2960/ha, which resulted in additional returns of Rs. 9403/ha and an IBCR of 3.18