Influence of different nutrient combinations of N, P, K, sulphur and zinc on growth and yield attributes of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

A field experiment was conducted at the Crop Research Farm, Centre of Agricultural Education, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh during rabi season of 2024-25 to study the effect of different levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur and zinc on growth, yield and economics of mustard (Brassica juncea L.). The soil of the experimental site was silty clay loam, moderately alkaline in reaction (pH 7.8), with 0.36 dS/m EC, 0.39% organic carbon, and medium in available N (178 kg/ha), low in P (15 kg/ha), high in K (290 kg/ha), deficient in sulphur (7.38 mg/kg) and zinc (0.70 mg/kg). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with nine treatments (T₁-T₉) consisting of varying combinations of N, P, K, S and Zn. Growth attributes such as plant height, dry matter accumulation, and branching were significantly influenced by nutrient management. The treatment T₇ (120:60:40:30:9 kg N:P:K:S:Zn ha^-¹) recorded the tallest plants (195.19 cm) and the highest dry matter accumulation (34.87 g plant^-¹), closely followed by T₆ and T₃. Yield attributes viz., siliquae plant^-¹, seeds siliqua^-¹, siliqua length, and test weight also showed marked improvement under higher levels of S and Zn. Among treatments, T₆ (120:60:40:30:7 kg N:P:K:S:Zn ha^-¹) produced the maximum seed yield (2174.07 kg ha^-¹) and oil yield (927.41 kg ha^-¹) along with the highest net return (₹93,353.98 ha^-¹) and B:C ratio (2.84). The control consistently remained inferior across all parameters. The results suggest that the combined application of 120:60:40 kg N:P:K ha^-¹ with 30 kg S and 7 kg Zn ha^-¹ proved most effective in enhancing growth, productivity and profitability of mustard.