Effects of Irrigation Cutoff and Nitrogen Fertilizer Application on the Physiological Traits of Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Abstract

To investigate the effect of irrigation cutoff and nitrogen fertilizer levels on the yield and yield components of lentil cultivars, a split-plot experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications at the research farm of Daikundi Higher Education Institution in 2023. The irrigation treatments included four levels: full irrigation (control), irrigation cutoff at the vegetative stage (V4), irrigation cutoff at the flowering stage (R1), and irrigation cutoff at the pod-filling stage (R5). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied as a sub-factor in three levels: no fertilizer, 70 kg nitrogen per hectare, and 140 kg nitrogen per hectare from a urea source. The irrigation cutoff treatments significantly reduced grain yield, dry weight, and physiological traits of lentils. The application of nitrogen fertilizer, except for leaf relative water content, had a significant positive effect on other traits. On average, the reduction in lentil yield was 14% with irrigation cutoff during the vegetative stage, 6% with normal irrigation, and 10% with irrigation cutoff during the pod-filling stage. Based on the results, along with the specific climatic characteristics of Daikundi Province and soil tests in the region, the application of 70 kg nitrogen per hectare under irrigation cutoff conditions is recommended to mitigate the damage caused by water scarcity and improve lentil production.