Abstract

Field experiments were conducted during rabi 2008 and 2009 at S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati, to study the effect of plants geometry, graded nutrient levels and time of nitrogen application on popcorn. The experiment was laid out in a split-split plot design replicated thrice. The treatments comprised of three planting patterns viz., P 1 (60x20 cm), P 2 (75x20 cm) and P 3 (90x20 cm) assigned to main plots and three nutrient levels viz., N 1 (80:40:40 kg ha -1 N, P 2 O5 and K 2 O), N 2 (100:50:50 kg ha- -1 N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O) and N 3 (120:60:60 kg ha -1 N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O) assigned to sub plots and three times of nitrogen application viz., T 1 ( 1/3 rd basal +1/3 rd knee high stage +1/3 rd tasselling), T 2 (¼ th basal + ½ knee high stage + ¼ th tasselling) and T3 (1/4 th basal + ¼ th knee high stage +1/2 tasselling ) assigned to sub- sub plots. The study revealed that the highest yield of popcorn could be realized with planting pattern of 90x20 cm along with the application of 120:60:60 kg ha -1 N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O in three splits at ¼th basal + ½ knee high stage + ¼ th tasselling stage.

Keywords: Popcorn, planting pattern, nutrient levels, time of nitrogen application, yield attributes, yield