Response of Advanced Wheat Lines to Integrated Nutrient Management for Yield, Grain Quality and Soil Health in Semi-Arid Balochistan

Authors

  • Hafeez Ullah Department of Agronomy, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Nanak Khan Department of Agronomy, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Jahangir Khan PARC-Balochistan Agricultural Research and Development Center, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Nauman Irshad Department of Agronomy, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Tahira Nisa Department of Plant Pathology, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Abdul Razzaq Reki Department of Agronomy, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Hassan Akhtar PARC-Balochistan Agricultural Research and Development Center, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Ilyas Department of Agronomy, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Habib Ur Rehman Department of Agronomy, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • Kamil Khan Department of Agronomy, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v4i1.2792

Keywords:

Wheat, Integrated Nutrient Management, Biozote, Farmyard Manure, Grain Quality, Soil Health, Semi-arid Highlands.

Abstract

Wheat productivity in the semi-arid highlands of Balochistan, Pakistan, is constrained by low soil fertility and poor nutrient-use efficiency. A field experiment was conducted during the 2023–24 Rabi season at Quetta to evaluate the response of two advanced wheat lines (BARDC-1 and BARDC-2) to seven integrated nutrient management practices arranged in a split-plot design with five replications. Treatments included an unfertilized control, 100% recommended NP (120-60 kg N-P₂O₅ ha⁻¹), farmyard manure (FYM) @ 10 t ha⁻¹, Biozote @ 5 kg ha⁻¹, and their combinations. The integrated treatment comprising Biozote (5 kg ha⁻¹) + FYM (5 t ha⁻¹) + 50% recommended NP (T7) recorded the highest chlorophyll content, NDVI, productive tillers, 1000-grain weight, grain yield (5504 kg ha⁻¹; 112% higher than control), grain protein (14.22%), gluten and ash contents, while substantially improving post-harvest soil organic carbon, available nutrients, and microbial populations. BARDC-2 outperformed BARDC-1 in most traits. Combining Biozote and FYM with half-dose chemical fertilizer proved the most effective and sustainable strategy for enhancing wheat productivity, grain quality, and soil health under semi-arid highland conditions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmed, M., Hyder, S. I., Ullah, A., Khan, R. U., Ahmad, M. A., Hayat, A., & Arshad, N. (2023). Response of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) on Growth, Yield, and Nutrient use Efficiency of Wheat under Irrigated Conditions. Journal of Applied Research in Plant Sciences , 4(01), 363–369.

https://doi.org/10.38211/joarps.2023.04.01.43

Ali, M., Bari, A., Ibrahim, M. et al. Impact of irrigation schedule and integrated nutrient management on wheat yield and nutrients uptake under semi-arid regions. Irrig Sci 43, 519–532 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-024-00986-8

Dai, Y., Wu, X., Li, S., Li, Y., Wang, L., Hu, Y., Liu, K., Yang, Z., Cai, L., Xu, K., Cui, M., Xu, X., Jia, Y., Wei, D., & Ding, J. (2025). Optimizing Resource Management with Organic Fertilizer and Microbial Inoculants to Enhance Soil Quality, Microbial Diversity, and Crop Productivity in Newly Cultivated Land. Plants, 14(19), 3032. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14193032

Dhaliwal, S. S., Sharma, S., Sharma, V., Shukla, A. K., Walia, S. S., Alhomrani, M., Gaber, A., Toor, A. S., Verma, V., Randhawa, M. K., Pandher, L. K., Singh, P., & Hossain, A. (2021). Long-Term Integrated Nutrient Management in the Maize–Wheat Cropping System in Alluvial Soils of North-Western India: Influence on Soil Organic Carbon, Microbial Activity and Nutrient Status. Agronomy, 11(11), 2258. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112258

Fazily, T., Thakral, S. K., & Dhaka, A. K. (2021). Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and yield of wheat. International Journal of Advances in Agricultural Science and Technology, 8(1), 106-118. DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2021.v08i1.014

Government of Pakistan. (2024). Economic Survey of Pakistan 2023–24. Finance Division, Government of Pakistan.

Hanway, J.J., Heidel, H., 1952. Soil analysis methods as used in Iowa State College Soil Testing Laboratory. Iowa Agric. 57, 1–31.

Ikan, C., Soussani, F.-E., Ouhaddou, R., Ech-Chatir, L., Errouh, F., Boutasknit, A., Assouguem, A., Ali, E. A., Ullah, R., Ait Barka, E., Lahlali, R., & Meddich, A. (2024). Use of Biofertilizers as an Effective Management Strategy to Improve the Photosynthetic Apparatus, Yield, and Tolerance to Drought Stress of Drip-Irrigated Wheat in Semi-Arid Environments. Agronomy, 14(6), 1316. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14061316

Jackson, M.L., 1973. Soil Chemical Analysis. Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi.

Jat, R. D., Jat, H. S., Nanwal, R. K., Yadav, A. K., Bana, A., Choudhary, K. M., ... & Jat, M. L. (2018). Conservation agriculture and precision nutrient management practices in maize-wheat system: Effects on crop and water productivity and economic profitability. Field Crops Research, 222, 111-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2018.03.025

Kushwah, N., Billore, V., Sharma, O. P., Singh, D., & Chauhan, A. P. S. (2024). Integrated Nutrient management for optimal plant health and crop yield. Plant Science Archives, 8(3), 10-12. https://doi.org/10.51470/PSA.2023.8.2.10

Khan, M. N., Shah, H., Qureshi, A. H., & Abbasi, S. S. (2017). Biozote performance on wheat in on-farm trials: farmers’ perceptions. Science Technology and Devlopment, 36(3), 147-151. ISSN 0254-6418 / DOI: 10.3923/std.2017.147.151

Kumar, A., Pathak, R. K., Kumar, S., Kumar, K., Singh, D., & Pal, S. (2015). Influence of integrated nutrient management on yield, uptake and crop quality of wheat. Int. J. Res. Appl, 3(6), 77-79.

Kumar, S., Sindhu, S. S., & Kumar, R. (2022). Biofertilizers: An ecofriendly technology for nutrient recycling and environmental sustainability. Current Research in Microbial Sciences, 3, 100094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmicr.2021.100094

Olsen, S.R., Cole, C.V., Watanabe, F.S., Dean, L.A., 1954. Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. USDA Circ. 939.

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. (2024). Agricultural statistics of Pakistan 2023–24. Government of Pakistan.

Parveen, M., & Ghosh, S. (2025). Ecological dynamics and microbial consortia: Enhancing soil health and sustainable agriculture. Egyptian Journal of Botany. DOI: 10.21608/ejbo.2025.312933.2967

Parewa, H. P., Yadav, J., Meena, V. S., Sarkar, D., Meena, S. K., Rakshit, A., & Datta, R. (2022). Improved nutrient management practices for enhancing productivity and profitability of wheat under Mid-Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. Agriculture, 12(9), 1472. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091472

Ramzan, Y., Hafeez, M.B., Khan, S. et al. Biofortification with Zinc and Iron Improves the Grain Quality and Yield of Wheat Crop. Int. J. Plant Prod. 14, 501–510 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42106-020-00100-w

Salam, Abdul, Atta Ullah, Ghulam Rasool, Mehwish Shoaib, Nanak Khan, Ahmed Ali, Muhammad Ejaz, Muhammad Waris, Kamran Hashim, and Honak Baloch. "Agro-Morphological Performance of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes for Yield and Quality Traits." Planta Animalia 4, no. 3 (2025): 143-151.https://doi.org/10.71454/.

Steel, R.G.D., Torrie, J.H., Dickey, D.A., 1997. Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach, 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York.

Subbiah, B.V., Asija, G.L., 1956. A rapid procedure for estimation of available nitrogen in soils. Current. Sci. 25, 259–260.

The Jamovi Project, 2023. Jamovi (Version 2.3) [Computer Software]. Retrieved from https://www.jamovi.org

Vukasovic, S., Alahmad, S., Christopher, J., Snowdon, R. J., Stahl, A., & Hickey, L. T. (2022). Dissecting the genetics of early vigour to design drought-adapted wheat. Frontiers in plant science, 12, 754439. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.754439

Walkley, A., & Black, I. A. (1934). An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter, and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil science, 37(1), 29-38.

Zahoor, I., Farzana, M. H. C., Shafeeq, M., Afzal, A. B., Haider, S. M. S., Arshad, E., ... & Ahmad, S. (2025). Enhancing Soil Nutrient Efficiency for Sustainable Agriculture. Sch J Agric Vet Sci, 7, 232-241. https://doi.org/10.36347/sjavs.2025.v12i07.001

Zulfiqar, U., Ahmad, M., Valipour, M., Ishfaq, M., Maqsood, M. F., Iqbal, R., ... & El Sabagh, A. (2023). Evaluating optimum limited irrigation and integrated nutrient management strategies for wheat growth, yield and quality. Hydrology, 10(3), 56. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10030056

Taj, S. (2024). Valorization of Germinated Oats, Soybeans, and Wheat for High-Protein Food Supplementation in Low-Resource Settings. Journal of Bioscience Studies, 1(1), 1-7.

https://doi.org/10.65761/jbs.v1.i1.1

Downloads

Published

2026-01-30

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): Indus Journal of Bioscience Research

Section

Original Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Indus Journal of Bioscience Research

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Hafeez Ullah, Khan, N., Khan, J., Irshad, N., Nisa, T., Reki, A. R., Akhtar, H., Muhammad Ilyas, Habib Ur Rehman, & Khan, K. (2026). Response of Advanced Wheat Lines to Integrated Nutrient Management for Yield, Grain Quality and Soil Health in Semi-Arid Balochistan. Indus Journal of Bioscience Research, 4(1), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v4i1.2792