PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2023 at the research farm of the Department of Agriculture, Sant Baba Bhag Singh University, Khiala, Jalandhar, Punjab, to assess the response of chickpea yield parameters and economic returns to phosphorus and zinc application. The experiment was arranged in a randomised block design with three replications and ten treatments comprising the recommended fertiliser dose and different phosphorus and zinc levels applied individually or in combination. Yield observations included pods per plant, seeds per pod, test weight, seed index, seed yield, straw yield, biological yield, and harvest index, together with cost of cultivation, gross return, net return, and benefit-cost ratio. Combined phosphorus and zinc application generally produced better yield and economic performance than individual nutrient applications and the control. The highest values were recorded for pods per plant (61.1), seeds per pod (2.67), test weight (270.23 g), seed index (14.20 g), seed yield (20.20 q ha⁻¹), straw yield (24.80 q ha⁻¹), and biological yield (44.70 q ha⁻¹). The same treatment recorded a cost of cultivation of ₹42,056 ha⁻¹, gross return of ₹125,187 ha⁻¹, net return of ₹83,131 ha⁻¹, and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.98. Under the conditions of this experiment, combined phosphorus and zinc application was associated with improved yield-related traits and economic returns in chickpea.