Nutritional and Physiological Response of Wheat to Soil Applied Matrix-I Formulated Calcium Carbide with and Without Nitrogen Fertilizer

Abstract

Calcium carbide is well known as a nitrification inhibitor and its role as a source of ethylene (C₂H₄), a potent plant growth regulator, is not thoroughly investigated. A pot trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of formulated calcium carbide with different doses of nitrogen fertilizer on nitrogen use efficiency, growth and yield of wheat. At the 1st step calcium carbide was formulated with polyethylene and plaster of paris and named as Matrix-I (21% calcium carbide, 58% polyethylene and 21% plaster of paris). Wheat cv. Inqulab-91 seeds were sown in pots and 5 plants were maintained. Calcium carbide was applied @ 0, 7.5, 15 and 22.5 mg/kg pot soil with 0, 30 and 60 mg N/kg soil. It was noted that nitrogen fertilizer application significantly enhanced almost all growth and yield parameters of wheat. It was also observed that matrix-I not only improved growth and yield parameters of wheat except plant height, which was reduced by CaC₂ application, but also enhanced N uptake by different plant parts of wheat, when applied @ 15 mg CaC₂ kg^-1 soil at 8 cm soil depth. It was further noted that matrix-I better improved N use efficiency when applied with half recommended dose of N fertilizer than that of with full recommended N fertilizer rate.