Enhancing growth indices of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) through sources of nutrient and bio-inoculants

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a major pulse crop in central India, yet its productivity is often constrained by nutrient limitations and poor microbial activity in soils. To address this, a two-year field experiment (2023-24 and 2024-25) was conducted at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, using a split-plot design with five nutrient sources and five bio-inoculant treatments. Growth indices such as Leaf Area Index (LAI), Absolute Growth Rate (AGR), and Crop Growth Rate (CGR) were recorded at successive crop stages. Findings revealed that nutrient management with vermicompost @ 2 t ha⁻¹ + 40 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ consistently produced higher LAI, AGR, and CGR compared to other nutrient sources. Among bio-inoculants, the combined inoculation of Rhizobium + PSB + Trichoderma proved most effective, enhancing canopy expansion, photosynthetic activity, and dry matter accumulation. The integration of organic nutrient sources with microbial consortia demonstrated clear physiological advantages, suggesting that such practices can reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers while improving chickpea.