GROWTH AND YIELD OF QUINOA (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) AS AFFECTED BY SPLIT APPLICATION OF NITROGEN

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy research field, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka from November, 2020 to February, 2021 to study the performance quinoa in respect to growth and yield that influenced by split application of nitrogen fertilizer. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Seven treatments included in the study as; T 1 : Control (1/3 N top dressed at 25 DAS and rest 1/3 N top dressed at 45 DAS), T 2 : 2/3 N top dressed at 25 DAS, T 3 : 2/3 N top dressed at 45 DAS, T 4 : 1/3 N top dressed at 25 DAS and 1/3 N foliar spray at 45 DAS, T 5 : 1/3 N foliar spray at 25 DAS and 1/3 N top dressed at 45 DAS, T 6 : 2/3 N foliar spray at 45 DAS, T 7 : 1/3 N foliar spray at 25 DAS and rest 1/3 N foliar spray at 45 DAS. One third nitrogen (150 kg N ha ) along with 50 kg P ha -1 , 50 kg K ha -1 , 60 kg Gypsum ha -1 , 10 kg ZnSO 4 -1 and 5 kg Boric acid ha was applied as basal dose for all the treatments. The different growth parameters, yield attributes and yield were significantly varied through split applications of nitrogenous fertilizer. The experimental results indicated that seed yield of quinoa was significantly influenced by the split application of nitrogen. The highest plant height (37.09 cm), leaves number plant -1 (25.40), fresh weight (12.50 g), dry weight (5.02 g), inflorescence number (20.87), 1000-seed weight (3.79 g), straw yield (1.31 t ha -1 ), and biological yield (2.85 t ha -1 ) at harvest was obtained from T 2 treatment that was statistically similar with T 6 treatments, while the highest root length (10.00 cm), highest SPAD value (57.29), highest harvest index (56.49%), highest grain yield (1.56 t ha -1 ) at harvest was obtained from T 6 that was similar with T 2 (1.54 t ha -1 ). The lowest plant height (32.81 cm), dry weight plant -1 (3.16 g), root length plant -1 (6.82 cm) and shoot length plant

(31.96 cm) at harvest was obtained from T 1 while the lowest leaves number plant

(16.40), number of branches plant -1 (14.33), SPAD value (44.24), number of inflorescence plant -1 (12.80), 1000-seed weight (3.30 g), seed yield (0.84 t ha ), straw yield (0.78 t ha -1 ), biological yield (1.62 t ha -1 ) and harvest index (51.91%) at harvest was recorded from T 5 treatments. Therefore, present study suggest that quinoa with 2/3 N top dressed at 25 DAS or 2/3 N foliar spray at 45 DAS is the most compatible in respect of yield.