Response of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) to Phosphorus and Sulphur Levels on Growth and Yield Attributes and Productivity under Rainfed Conditions of Chitrakoot Region

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2019–20 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot, Satna (Madhya Pradesh), to evaluate the influence of phosphorus and sulphur fertilisation on the growth, yield attributes and productivity of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) under rainfed conditions. The experiment was conducted on sandy loam soil with a slightly alkaline reaction (pH 7.4), low organic carbon (0.338%), available nitrogen (205.4 kg ha⁻¹), available phosphorus (15.38 kg ha⁻¹), available potassium (242.0 kg ha⁻¹) and available sulphur (11.19 kg ha⁻¹). The study comprised three levels of phosphorus (0, 30 and 40 kg ha⁻¹) and three levels of sulphur (0, 30 and 40 kg ha⁻¹), and observations were recorded on plant height, number of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, seed yield and straw yield. The results revealed that the application of phosphorus and sulphur significantly improved the growth and productivity of linseed over the control. Among the phosphorus levels, application of 30 kg P ha⁻¹ recorded the highest seed yield (418.27 kg ha⁻¹), number of branches per plant (11.65) and capsules per plant (34.53), whereas the maximum plant height at harvest (73.91 cm) was observed with 40 kg P ha⁻¹. Similarly, the application of sulphur at 40 kg ha⁻¹ produced the tallest plants (73.91 cm), the highest number of branches (12.36 plant⁻¹), capsules (36.00 plant⁻¹), seeds per capsule (7.55), seed yield (406.34 kg ha⁻¹) and straw yield (442.62 kg ha⁻¹). These findings indicate that balanced phosphorus and sulphur nutrition plays a crucial role in enhancing vegetative growth, reproductive development and overall productivity of linseed under the rainfed agro-climatic conditions of Chitrakoot. The study suggests that the application of 30 kg P ha⁻¹ is optimal for maximising seed yield, while 40 kg S ha⁻¹ is more effective in improving growth, yield attributes and straw production, thereby offering a practical nutrient management strategy for sustainable linseed cultivation in the Bundelkhand region.