Improved lentil production by utilizing genetic variability in response to phosphorus fertilization
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Improved lentil production by utilizing genetic variability in response tophosphorus fertilizationMuhammad Rasheeda; Ghulam Jilanib; Imran Ali Shaha; Ullah Najeebc; Tanveer Iqbalb
a Department of Agronomy, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan b Department ofSoil Science, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan c Crop Sciences Institute,National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan
First published on: 27 September 2010
To cite this Article Rasheed, Muhammad , Jilani, Ghulam , Shah, Imran Ali , Najeeb, Ullah and Iqbal, Tanveer(2010)'Improved lentil production by utilizing genetic variability in response to phosphorus fertilization', Acta AgriculturaeScandinavica, Section B - Plant Soil Science, 60: 6, 485 — 493, First published on: 27 September 2010 (iFirst)To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/09064710903183562URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09064710903183562
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Improved lentil production by utilizing genetic variability in response tophosphorus fertilization
MUHAMMAD RASHEED1, GHULAM JILANI2, IMRAN ALI SHAH1, ULLAH NAJEEB3 &
TANVEER IQBAL2
1Department of Agronomy, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan, 2Department of Soil Science,
PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan, 3Crop Sciences Institute, National Agriculture Research
Centre, Islamabad 45500, Pakistan
AbstractA field experiment was undertaken for evaluating the performance of three lentil genotypes with phosphorus (P) fertilizationat four rates: 0, 40, 60, and 80 kg P2O5 ha�1 under rain-fed conditions. Genotypes of lentil were: Masoor-93, Markaz-2001,and NARC-02/2. Masoor-93 showed the highest seed yield, crop-growth rate, net assimilation rate, and seed proteincontents among all the tested cultivars. P applied at the highest rate (80 kg ha�1) caused the best positive response withrespect to physiological traits, growth attributes, and yield components. Furthermore, the application of P-fertilizer wasfound to be feasible in economic terms, as the net return, value-to-cost ratio, and relative increase in income were enhancedsuccessively at higher phosphorus rates. It was concluded that for maximum potential yield of lentil, genotype Masoor-93 isthe best suited under rain-fed conditions provided that its P nutrition is enhanced. The pronounced genetic variability inlentil-yield traits suggests that nutrient-efficient germplasm can be screened through breeding programmes to promote lentilproduction.
Keywords: Crop growth, economic returns, genetic diversity, harvest index, net assimilation rate, nodulation.
Introduction
Among the pulses, lentil is of special interest with
23.7% content of grain protein, almost double that of
cereals and slightly higher than meat, egg, and fish
(Pellet & Shadarevian, 1970). In addition to protein
its seed is a rich source of minerals and vitamins as
human food, while the straw serves as high-value
animal feed. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) is grown
under both irrigated as well as rain-fed conditions in
most regions of the world. It is among the important
pulses for crop intensification in West Asia and
diversification in South Asia (Sarker et al., 2004).
However, lentil yields at the farm level are far below
the genetic potential of its cultivars. Unavailability of
the tested site-specific lentil cultivars and imbalanced
use of fertilizers could be the contributing factors
towards these lower yields. Most of the soils under
lentil cultivation are low-to-medium in available
phosphorus (P), therefore they respond positively to
P-fertilizer application (Singh et al., 2005). Further,
improvement in the genotypes would be helpful to get
the highest response from lower-P soils.
Phosphorus contributes substantially to increased
yield of legumes by enhancing the physiological
functions of the crop plants, root development, and
nodulation (Sharma & Sharma, 2004). Phosphorus
application not only increases the dry matter and
seed yield of lentil but also enhances the N- and P-
content of the seed by increasing nodulation and
root development (Balyan & Singh, 2005). Jilani
et al. (2007) reported that among various sources of
plant nutrients applied to maize, the application of
Corresponding authors: Muhammad Rasheed, Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi
46300, Pakistan. Tel: 0092-51- 9290757. Fax: 0092-51-9290160. Email: [email protected]
Ghulam Jilani, Associate Professor, Department of Soil Science, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan. Tel: 0092-51-
9062241. Fax: 0092-51-9290160. Email: [email protected]
Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B � Soil and Plant Science, 2010; 60: 485�493
(Received 23 May 2009; accepted 13 July 2009)
ISSN 0906-4710 print/ISSN 1651-1913 online # 2010 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/09064710903183562
Downloaded By: [PERI Pakistan] At: 13:49 14 October 2010
NPK fertilizers at the recommended level gave the
highest crop yields and nutrients uptake.
Higher doses of P to lentil induce early flowering
but delay maturity due to enhanced nitrogenase
activity of intact root nodules and a balancing effect
of P on lentil physiological processes and uptake of
other nutrients (Khan et al., 2006). Garg et al.
(2004) found that phosphorus application signifi-
cantly ameliorated the negative effects of drought on
physiological parameters of moth bean genotypes, as
P had the ability to improve yield under water-
limited conditions. However, higher rates of P could
cause only additional nutrient absorption but not
any added increase in plant growth. Also, the high
rates of P-fertilizer application cause a high level of
P fixation in the soil (Ramos-Hernandez & Flores-
Roman, 2008).
Therefore, it is necessary to perform comprehen-
sive studies on the requirement and response of
various crops to P fertilization. This experiment was
carried out with the objectives of improving yield and
physiological response of lentil cultivars through no
or lower P as well as through enhanced P nutrition.
Materials and methods
Site and experiment
This field study was conducted at the Agronomy
Research Farm of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture
University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan during the years
2005�2006 under rain-fed conditions. Rawalpindi’s
climate is sub-humid to sub-tropical continental,
receiving on average 1044 mm annual rainfall, with
more than 50% occurring in the monsoon season from
July to September. The mean maximum temperature
ranges from 25.6 to 39.4 8C in June and the mean
minimum temperature ranges from 3.2 to 16.7 8C in
January. The characteristics of field soil were: pH
8.34, electrical conductivity 0.16 dS m�1, organic
matter 3.6 g kg�1, Kjeldahl total nitrogen 0. 42 g
kg�1, available phosphorus 4.32 mg kg�1, extractable
potassium 92.5 g kg�1, and sandy clay loam texture.
This field experiment was laid out according to a
randomized complete-block design with split-plot
arrangement by keeping lentil genotypes in main
plots and phosphorus rates in sub-plots. The sub-
plot size was 4.5 m�1.5 m, and the treatments were
replicated thrice. The treatments included three
genotypes of lentil, viz. Masoor-93, Markaz-2001,
and NARC-02/2; and four rates of phosphorus
fertilizer, viz. 0, 40, 60, and 80 kg P2O5 ha�1 as
single superphosphate. Lentil cultivars exhibit con-
siderable genetic variation in morphological and
agronomic traits, phenological characters including
responses in flowering to temperature and photo-
period, winter-hardiness, drought tolerance, and
disease and insect resistance (Sarker & Erskine,
2006). Therefore, three promising genotypes of len-
til recommended for cultivation in Pakistan were
selected for their P-response studies. In all the
treatments a basal dose of 60 kg N ha�1 was applied
as urea. Fertilizers were applied at the time of
sowing, and crop was sown in 30-cm-distant rows
with seed rate of 20 kg ha�1. The crop was har-
vested at its full maturity, and threshed manually.
Data collection
Agronomic parameters of plant growth and crop
yield (as given in Table I & II ) were recorded at
harvest by standard field procedures on ten ran-
domly selected plants from each sub-plot treatment,
and the average per plant was calculated. Harvest
Table I. Effect of phosphorus on plant biometry of lentil genotypes.
Treatment Shoot length
(cm)
Branch count
(# plant�1)
Nodule count
(# plant�1)
Nodule weight
(mg nodule�1)
Maturity period
(days)
Phosphorus levels (kg ha�1)
0 (CK) 29.7 d* 4.82 d 93.1 c 31.5 d 182.7 d
40 31.5 c 4.97 c 110.4 b 35.1 c 187.6 c
60 33.9 b 5.35 b 130.6 a 38.5 b 192.4 b
80 35.7 a 5.63 a 65.8 d 44.4 a 198.6 a
LSD-values 0.4 0.12 2.6 0.7 0.4
Genotypes
Masoor-93 34.5 a* 5.45 a 121.0 a 39.9 a 192.7 a
Markaz-2001 33.2 a 5.27 b 97.6 b 38.0 b 189.8 b
NARC-02/2 30.4 b 4.63 c 81.2 c 34.2 c 189.1 b
LSD-values 1.7 0.09 4.3 0.5 0.8
P�G interaction NS NS NS NS NS
Coefficient of variation (%) 11.9 12.6 13.6 18.2 13.6
*Means in a column bearing different letter(s) have a statistically significant difference at P50.01. NSMeans have a statistically
nonsignificant difference at P50.01.
486 M. Rasheed et al.
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index and Leaf area index were calculated by
Equations (1) and (2):
Harvest index�Seed yield
Biological yield�100 (1)
Leaf area index� (number of plants m�2)
�(leaf count plant�1)�(average leaf area) (2)
Crop-growth rate (CGR) and net assimilation rate
(NAR) were calculated through the formulae of
Beadle (1987), as shown in Equations (3) and (4):
CGR(g m�2 day�1)�W2 � W1
t2 � t1
(3)
where,
W2�Dry weight m�2 of land area at second harvest
W1�Dry weight m�2 of land area at first harvest
t2�time corresponding to second harvest
t1�time corresponding to first harvest
NAR(g m�2 day�1)�TDM
LAD(4)
where,
TDM�Total dry matter
LAD � Leaf area duration, as determined by the
following Equation (5):
LAD�(LAI 1�LAI2)�(t2�t1)1=2 (5)
where,
LAI1�leaf area index at t1LAI2�leaf area index at t2t1�time of first observation
t2�time of second observation
For estimating the protein content in lentil seeds,
first the Kjeldahl analysis method was used to
determine total nitrogen (N) in the grains (Johnson
et al., 1985), then protein content (% w/w) was
estimated as 6.25�N.
Phosphorus analysis
Phosphorus contents in lentil grain and straw were
determined by taking 1.0 g of dried ground sample
in a digestion tube. Concentrated HNO3 (10 mL)
was added to the tube followed by the addition of 5
mL of concentrated HClO4 (70%). The ingredients
were digested in a digester until the colors cleared
up. The digested material was diluted to 25 mL
volume using distilled-deionized water (Ryan et al.,
2001). For P estimation, 1.0 mL of digested material
was taken into a 10-mL tube. Aqueous 2M HNO3
solution (2 mL) was added and the mixture was
diluted to 8 mL with distilled water. Thereafter,
1 mL of ammonium molybdate-ammonium vana-
date solution was added and the volume was made to
10 mL with distilled water. The tube was shaken and
allowed to stand for 20 minutes. The absorbance
was measured by spectrophotometer (Spectronic 2l)
at 430 nm and was compared with the absorbance of
standard phosphorus curve.
Data analysis
Data on plant parameters influenced by various
phosphorus levels and lentil genotypes were analysed
statistically by analysis of variance (Steel et al., 1997)
using statistical software MSTAT-C (Freed et al.,
1991). Data were analysed through two-factor fac-
torial completely randomized design for interaction
among treatments, and the means separation by
Tukey test (p50.01).
Table II. Effect of phosphorus on yield attributes of lentil genotypes.
Treatment Pods count
(# plant�1)
Seeds count
(# pod�1)
Pod weight
(g pod�1)
Seed weight
(g plant�1)
100-Seed weight
(g)
Phosphorus levels (kg ha�1)
0 (CK) 30.8 d* 1.75 d 1.18 d 2.59 d 1.87 d
40 34.9 c 1.81 c 1.48 c 4.11 c 1.96 c
60 38.1 b 1.85 b 1.75 b 5.35 b 2.07 b
80 42.0 a 1.95 a 2.08 a 6.64 a 2.18 a
LSD-values 2.6 0.02 0.03 0.22 0.04
Genotypes
G1 Masoor-93 39.8 a* 1.90 a 1.83 a 6.24 a 2.17 a
G2 Markaz-2001 37.3 a 1.85 b 1.68 b 4.52 b 2.05 b
G3 NARC-02/2 32.3 b 1.77 c 1.35 c 3.26 c 1.85 c
LSD-values 4.3 0.01 0.06 0.40 0.08
P�G interaction NS NS * NS NS
Coefficient of variation (%) 15.8 12.8 16.8 16.0 14.2
*Means in a column bearing different letter(s) have a statistically significant difference at P50.01. NSMeans have a statistically
nonsignificant difference at P50.01.
Lentil genotypes response to phosphorus 487
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Procedures for economic analysis were adopted
from CIMMYT (1988). Expenditure incurred on
P-fertilizer, and incomes of produce, were calculated
on the basis of market rates (GOP, 2006). The
following economic parameters were derived thro-
ugh the formulae shown in Equations (6)�(8):
Net return (NR)
�value of increased yield-cost of nutrient sources
(6)
Value cost ratio (VCR)�value of increased yield
}cost of nutrient sources
(7)
Relative increase in income (RII)
�(net income} income at control)�100 (8)
Results and discussion
Plant biometry
Lentil plant biometric parameters including shoot
length, count of branches, nodules count and
weight, and total growth period up to maturity
were measured; data are presented in Table I. There
was a highly significant difference (p50.01) among
three genotypes, with the highest values of all the
growth attributes in genotype Masoor-93, and the
lowest one that of NARC-02/2. The only nonsigni-
ficant difference was between Masoor-93 and
Markaz-2001 for shoot length, and between
Markaz-2001 and NARC-02/2 for maturity period.
Genetic variability and variable response of cultivars
to the prevalent environment were the main factors
for the difference in the growth of lentil cultivars
(Khan et al., 2002).
Application of phosphorus at different levels also
affected the growth of lentil genotypes significantly.
Each increment in P rate enhanced the growth
parameters significantly; however, the number of
nodules declined at the highest rate of P-fertilizer.
Balyan & Singh (2005) reported that phosphorus
application increased the nodulation. Higher P-rates
lengthened the period of crop maturity significantly.
Khan et al. (2006) also reported that P lengthened
the time of field maturity in lentil. The highly positive
growth response of lentil to all the applied P-levels
was mainly due to acute P-deficiency in soil. Rehman
and Barnard (1998) also recorded a promotional
effect of phosphorus on the growth traits of lentil.
Yield attributes
The yield attributes included the number of pods per
plant and their weight, seeds count per pod, seed
weight per plant, and 100-seed weight (Table II).
There were significant differences among cultivars
for all yield parameters, except that Masoor-93 and
Markaz-2001 had statistically similar pods count per
plant. Masoor-93 was statistically superior to the
other two cultivars for all the studied yield attributes;
and among the others NARC-02/2 gave the lowest
values. Differential response to environmental con-
ditions and variability in fruiting potential among the
cultivars were the reasons for differences in yield-
contributing plant parameters.
Phosphorus fertilization also affected the yield
parameters of lentil significantly. The rate of 80 kg
P ha�1 was statistically superior to lower rates,
which had significant differences among each other
for all the parameters (Table II). Yield attributes
were increased linearly with successive increase in
the rates of applied P. The positive response was due
to the fact that P improved the reproductive poten-
tial of the plants. Amanullah and Nawabzada (2004)
also reported the promotional effect of phosphorus.
Enhancement of yield parameters was due to the
increased supply of P, more nodules and N-uptake
by plant. Masauskas et al. (2008) related the seed
weight positively with yield increase under the
significant effect of P-application.
Grain yield
Seed yield is one of the most important and
phenomenal yield components which describe the
overall potential of the genotype. There were sig-
nificant differences among three cultivars with the
highest grain yield (1300 kg ha�1) of Masoor-93,
and the lowest yield of 957 kg ha�1 was from
NARC-02/2 9 (Figure 1). Masoor-93 gave a higher
yield due to the greater number of pods per plant
and seed weight per plant. The variable yield
potential of different lentil genotype has also been
Figure 1. Grain yield of lentil genotypes as influenced by various
phosphorus levels.
488 M. Rasheed et al.
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reported by Sadiq et al. (1998). Lentil genotypes
differ in their root traits (root length and root-hair
density), which significantly influence the plant
uptake of nutrients (Gahoonia et al., 2006). Geno-
types with prolific root-hair formation are superior in
the uptake of nutrients, so would have better growth
and yield.
Phosphorus is involved in a number of metabolic
functions and is especially important for grain
formation (Balyan & Singh, 2005); therefore, its
proper supply to the crops improves their yields. It is
needed in relatively large amounts by legumes for
growth and nitrogen fixation, and it was found to
increase leaf area, biomass, yield, nodulation, and
nutritional quality in peas (Yemane & Skjelvag,
2003). In our study, different levels of P also affected
the seed yield significantly. The seed yield increased
linearly with each successive increment of P from
40�80 kg ha�1 over control with average corre-
sponding values of 797, 951, and 1119 kg ha�1. The
possible and logical reason was that yield compo-
nents of the crop were highly improved with the
applied P, and that they contributed towards in-
creased seed yield. Enhanced seed yield of lentil by
increasing P-levels was also reported by Kumar and
Kumar (2006). Improved fertilization enhances the
crop-grain yields due to increased availability and
uptake of macro- and micronutrients (Ahmad et al.,
2008; Shaheen et al., 2009).
Harvest index
Harvest index is an indication of the physiological
ability of a cultivar to convert the dry matter into
economic yield. Harvest index of lentil varied sig-
nificantly among three genotypes (Figure 2). The
highest value of harvest index (45.8) was given by
Masoor-93 and the lowest one (41.3) by NARC-02/2
genotype. Harvest index was also affected signifi-
cantly by different phosphorus levels, bearing average
maximum value of 43.5 with 80 kg ha�1 against the
average lowest (36.4) in control treatment.
Leaf area index
As seen from Figure 3 for leaf area index (LAI) of
lentil, there were highly significant differences among
the treatment means of cultivars as well as that of P-
levels. The highest LAI was attained by Masoor-93
and the lowest in NARC-02/2, showing respective
average values of 2.19 and 1.65, respectively. Among
the P-levels the highest value for LAI was observed at
80 kg P ha�1, and all the levels had significant
differences with each other. The average lowest
value of 1.57 LAI was found in control without
P-application. These results are supported by the
findings of Khan (2002) who reported that enhanced
P-application increased the LAI of chickpea.
Crop-growth rate
The highest crop-growth rate (CGR) was attained by
Masoor-93 with an average value of 4.70 g m�2
day�1 and the average lowest (2.95 g m�2 day�1)
was in NARC-02/2 (Figure 4). The increase in CGR
might be attributed to the increased nodulation in
Masoor-93 as compared with the other two cultivars.
Crop-growth rate was also influenced significantly
by different P-levels. It increased linearly with each
successive increment of P-level, showing the corre-
sponding average values of 3.22, 4.01, and 5.05 g
m�2 day�1 against the control average (2.62 g m�2
day�1). The interaction of genotype�phosphorus-
rate treatments was also statistically significant at
P50.05. Masoor-93 at 80 kg ha�1 performed the
best while NARC-02/2 in control (P0) gave the
lowest CGR-value. Enhanced CGR might be due
to the greater number and weight of nodules per
plant causing an increased supply of N to the plant.
Figure 3. Leaf area index of lentil genotypes as influenced by
various phosphorus levels.
Figure 2. Harvest index of lentil genotypes as influenced by
various phosphorus levels.
Lentil genotypes response to phosphorus 489
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This phenomenon resulted in better utilization of
P and other nutrients that promoted crop growth.
Khan (2002) reported that P-application increased
the crop-growth rate in chickpea.
Net assimilation rate
The net assimilation rate (NAR) differed signifi-
cantly among different cultivars, being maximum
(5.83 g m�2 day�1) in Masoor-93 (Figure 5).
The average lowest NAR (3.61 g m�2 day�1) was
in NARC-02/2 genotype. Different rates of P-
application also affected NAR significantly, being
the average highest (5.48 g m�2 day�1) in control
without P. The NAR decreased specifically with each
increment in P-level, showing values of 4.82, 4.26,
and 3.66 g m�2 day�1, respectively. The highest net
assimilation rate in control plot was due to lower LAI
and CGR which have an inverse relationship with
NAR. These results are supported by the findings of
Khan (2002).
Grain protein content
Seed protein concentration differed significantly
among cultivars, having the average highest value
(25.5%) in Masoor-93 and the average lowest
(21.4%) in NARC-02 (Figure 6). Masoor-93 is
inherently more efficient in protein synthesis than
are the other two cultivars (Sadiq et al., 1998).
Protein concentration was also affected significantly
by different rates of P-fertilizer. Protein contents in
grains increased linearly with each increment of P
over control, showing average values of 22.79, 24.87,
and 26.80% at 40, 60, and 80 kg P ha�1, respec-
tively. Increase in protein contents might be due to
the higher number of nodules per plant and their
nitrogen-fixing ability with increased P-application.
Guhey et al. (2000) reported that the increased P-
levels improved the protein contents of crop seeds.
Albayrak et al. (2008) also obtained the highest dry-
matter yield and crude protein content (%) of
pastures from the N- and P-fertilizer treatments.
Phosphorus content
Phosphorus contents in lentil grain and straw were
significantly influenced by different rates of phos-
phorus and also varied among the genotypes (Table
III). The highest concentration of phosphorus in the
grains (0.37%) was found with 80 kg P ha�1,
followed by 60 kg P ha�1 which was statistically at
par with 40 kg P ha�1. The lowest P-content was
recorded in P0 (control) treatment. Contrarily, the P-
contents in the straw were statistically similar at P-
application of 60 and 80 kg P ha�1, being superior to
that with control and 40 kg P ha�1, which also
differed nonsignificantly with each other. Singh et al.
(2005) found that the P-concentration in the lentil
grain and straw was increased at enhanced rates of P-
application. Among the three cultivars, significantly
higher P-content in grain (0.36%) was found in V1
Figure 4. Growth rate of lentil genotypes as influenced by various
phosphorus levels.
Figure 5. Net assimilation rate of lentil genotypes as influenced by
various phosphorus levels.
Figure 6. Grain protein content of lentil genotypes as influenced
by various phosphorus levels.
490 M. Rasheed et al.
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Table III. Effect of phosphorus rates on the phosphorus content (%) in lentil genotypes.
Phosphorus content (%) in lentil grain Phosphorus content (%) in lentil straw
Treatment
(kg P ha�1) V1 (Masoor-93) V2 (Markaz-2001) V3 (NARC-02/2) Mean* V1 (Masoor-93) V2 (Markaz-2001) V3 (NARC-02/2) Mean*
0 (CK) 0.32 NS 0.30 0.29 0.30 c 0.08 NS 0.08 0.07 0.08 b
40 0.35 0.32 0.31 0.33 b 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.08 b
60 0.37 0.34 0.32 0.34 b 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.09 a
80 0.40 0.37 0.35 0.37 a 0.11 0.09 0.08 0.09 a
Mean* 0.36 a 0.33 b 0.32 b 0.10 a 0.09 b 0.08 c
*Means in a column/row bearing different letter(s) have a statistically significant difference at P50.01. NSMeans have a statistically nonsignificant difference at P50.01.
Table IV. Economic output (in US$) of using phosphorus fertilizer for lentil production.
Treatment (kg P ha�1) Income from lentila Income over control
Cost of phosphorus
fertilizerb Net return Value-to-cost ratio
Relative increase
in income
0 (CK) 409.50 � � � � �40 502.11 92.61 37.2 55.41 2.49 122.6
60 599.13 189.63 55.8 133.83 3.40 146.3
80 704.97 295.47 74.4 221.07 3.97 172.2
aPrice of lentil grain�US$ 0.63 kg�1. bPrice of phosphorus fertilizer�US$ 0.93 kg�1 (GOP, 2006).
Len
tilgen
otypes
respon
seto
phosp
horu
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(Masoor-93) as compared with the other two geno-
types, which were statistically at par. However, P-
contents in the straw of the three genotypes had
significant differences, having the highest value in
Masoor-93 and the lowest in NARC-02/2. Signifi-
cant genotypic differences for P-contents in the
shoots of lentil among various cultivars were also
reported by Gahoonia et al. (2006).
Economics of phosphorus use
The economics of P-fertilizer use in lentil at various
rates was calculated in terms of net return (NR),
value-to-cost ratio (VCR), and relative increase in
income (RII) as shown in Table IV. The income over
control (no P-application) from the lentil grain
increased with each increment of P. Although the
expenditure on fertilizer was increasing at elevated
rates, still the net returns were considerably en-
hanced with successive rates of P-fertilizer. Similarly,
the highest figure of value-to-cost ratio (3.97) was
obtained at 80 kg P ha�1. The highest RII (US$
172.2) was also found with the highest rate of P-
fertilizer. Jilani et al. (2007) reported that the sole
use of NPK fertilizers in maize, although they gave
the highest total income compared with integrated
use of organic, bio and chemical fertilizers, however,
the NR-, VCR-, and RII-values became less due to
the higher cost of NPK fertilizers.
Generally, lentil cultivars reflected a genetic varia-
bility in response to phosphorus nutrition under
rain-fed cultivation. Masoor-93 was found the best
with respect to growth and yield traits, while NARC-
02 gave a poor response. Phosphorus application
was able to improve the growth and yield of lentil
genotypes, so each increment in P rate produced
significant results. Phosphorus also increased protein
and P-contents in lentil. It is inferred that, under
rain-fed conditions, higher yields of lentil could be
ensured through the selection of appropriate geno-
type like Masoor-93 with higher application of P.
Further, the use of P-fertilizer at higher rates is
economically feasible with respect to NR-, VCR-,
and RII-values. Pronounced genetic response of
lentil to phosphorus suggests that nutrient-efficient
germplasm can be achieved through breeding pro-
grammes for enhancing its production.
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