Effect of Different Farmyard Manure Doses and Phosphorus Rates on Growth and Yield of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Abstract

The study comprises the effects of various ratios of phosphorus (P) and farmyard manure (FYM) on a variety of sunflower agronomic traits. Plant population, plant height, spike length, head diameter, number of seeds per head, weight of seeds per head, seed index, and seed yield were among these features. Five integrated applications of FYM and phosphorus were tested, namely T₁ (00-ton FYM + 00 kg P ha^-1), T₂ (1-ton FYM + 30 kg P ha^-1), T₃ (3-ton FYM + 60 kg P ha^-1), T₄ (4-ton FYM + 90 kg P ha^-1), and T₅ (5-ton FYM + 120 kg P ha^-1). Out of all the treatments given to the sunflower crops, the T5 treatment, which included applying 5 tons of FYM and 120 kg of P per hectare, produced the best results. This treatment yielded the highest number of seeds per head (2696.9), the heaviest seed weight per head (60.7 g), the largest seed index (32.7 g), the tallest plant height (273.7 cm), the widest stem girth (10.9 cm), the largest head diameter (53.8 cm), and the highest seed yield (2698.7 kg per hectare). On the other hand, the T1 treatment, which did not get either FYM or P, showed the least favorable results. This treatment exhibited the smallest plant height (217.7 cm), narrowest stem girth, and lowest plant density (6.6 plants per square meter). These findings recommend applying 5 tons of FYM and 120 kg of P to enhance the growth and seed yield of sunflower crops. The results clearly demonstrated that applying FYM and phosphorus significantly influenced sunflower growth and yield compared to the control plot (without FYM and phosphorus). The grain yield of sunflower showed a linear increase with increasing levels of FYM and phosphorus. Notably, the plot treated with 5 tons of FYM and 120 kg of P had the highest sunflower grain yield.