Muhammad Rasheed

Improved lentil production by utilizing genetic variability in response to phosphorus fertilization

Abstract A field experiment was undertaken for evaluating the performance of three lentil genotypes with phosphorus (P) fertilization at 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 protein contents among all the tested cultivars. P applied at the highest rate (80 kg ha−1) caused the best positive response with respect to physiological traits, growth attributes, and yield components. Furthermore, the application of P-fertilizer was found to be feasible in economic terms, as the net return, value-to-cost ratio, and relative increase in income were enhanced successively at higher phosphorus rates. It was concluded that for maximum potential yield of lentil, genotype Masoor-93 is the best suited under rain-fed conditions provided that its P nutrition is enhanced. The pronounced genetic variability in lentil-yield traits suggests that nutrient-efficient germplasm can be screened through breeding programmes to promote lentil production.