Enhancing Growth and Yield of Chia (Salvia hispanica) by Nitrogen Application

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in Panchagarh, Bangladesh, during Rabi season of 2022–2023 to assess the impact of nitrogen fertilization rates (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 kg N ha⁻¹) on the yield attributes of chia (Salvia hispanica) and soil nutrients in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replications. Results of the study significantly (P≤0.05) revealed that T₄ treatment (120 kg ha^-1 N) showed highest plant height (112.8 cm), leaf number plant^-1 (42.50), number of branches plant^-1 (20.92), number of inflorescence plant^-1 (18.92), effective length of inflorescence (12.68 cm), number of seed inflorescence^-1 (574.7), fresh shoot weight (3.91 t ha^-1), dry shoot weight (2.82 t ha^-1), 1000-seed weight (1.27 g),  seed yield of chia (0.37 t ha^-1) and biological yield (3.19 t ha^-1) followed by T₅. In the case of harvest index, the highest (14.86%) was observed at T₄ treatment. Addition of N fertilizer @ 120 kg ha^-1 resulted in a considerable influence on the post-harvest soil properties such as available P (75.25 ppm), exchangeable K (0.65 m.e. 100 g^-1soil) and available S (7.35 ppm), which were maximal in T₄ treatment, while 150 kg N ha⁻¹ (T5) recorded the highest total nitrogen (0.035%). However, excessive N (T₅) did not further boost yield. The study recommends 120 kg N ha⁻¹ as the most efficient nitrogen rate for enhancing chia growth, yield, and soil nutrient availability in similar agro-climatic conditions.