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Abstract

A field experiment was conducted from November 2022 to February 2023 at Boda Upazila, Panchagarh District, located in Agroecological Zone 1 (AEZ-1) of Bangladesh. The objective was to examine the effects of different phosphorus (P) levels on the growth and yield of chia plants (Salvia hispanica). The trial included six levels of phosphorus, designated as T0 (0 kg ha⁻¹), T1 (20 kg ha⁻¹), T2 (40 kg ha⁻¹), T3 (60 kg ha⁻¹), T4 (80 kg ha⁻¹), and T5 (100 kg ha⁻¹), using Triple Superphosphate (TSP) as the phosphorus source. The treatments were organized in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Results revealed that P significantly affected the morphology and growth characteristics of chia, contributing to an increase in yields, as well as improving the soil properties. However, the application of P at 60 kg ha⁻¹ (T3) resulted in the highest values for morphological and growth attributes. Specifically, the morphological traits such as plant height (105.24 cm), leaf number plant-1 (54.25), number of branches plant-1 (30.50), growth traits like fresh and dry weights (3.18 and 2.52 t ha-1, respectively), and yield contributing characteristics such as number of inflorescences plant-1 (24.63), length of inflorescences (13.60 cm), number of seeds inflorescence-1 (522.30), and 1000-seed weight (1.27 g). Moreover, P fertilization @ 60 kg ha-1 showed the highest yield indices like seed yield (0. 44 t ha-1), stover yield (2.03 t ha-1), and biological yield (2.47 t ha-1). The values obtained for the majority of the measured indices were statistically comparable between T3 and T4 treatments. Conversely, the control treatment (T0) resulted in the lowest values for growth and yield parameters. Moreover, phosphorus fertilization significantly enhanced soil phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur contents, improving the nutrient availability for plants. The levels of phosphorus and sulfur gradually increased with higher phosphorus application rates, while potassium levels increased up to the application rate of 80 kg ha-1. Therefore, the application of phosphorus at the rate of 60 kg ha-1 is the most suitable dose for better growth and yield of chia in the AEZ-1 area of Bangladesh

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