Effect of phosphorus and zinc on yield and economics of mothbean under semiarid conditions

A field experiment was conducted during rainy (kharif) season of 2007 at Agronomy farm, S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner (Rajasthan) to study the effect of phosphorus and zinc on mothbean under semi arid conditions on loamy sand soil. Twenty treatment combinations comprising five levels of phosphorus (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 kg P2O5/ha) and four levels of zinc (0, 2, 4 and 6 kg Zn/ha) were tried in a RBD with three replications. Application of 30 kg P2O5/ha significantly enhanced plant height, dry matter accumulation/plant, effective nodules and dry weight of nodules, pods/plant, seeds/pod, seed and straw yields, net returns, nutrient (N, P, K and Zn) content in seed and straw and their total uptake. Zinc applied at4 kg/ha (on par with 6 kg/ha) was optimum as it significantly increased plant height, dry matter accumulation/plant, chlorophyll content in plant leaves at 40 days after sowing (DAS), per plant effective nodules and its dry weight, number of pods, seeds/pod, seed and straw yields, net returns, nutrient (N, P, K and Zn) content in seed and straw and their total uptake over the lower doses (both 2 kg Zn/ha and control).