Sardana, VirenderChouksey, Haridarshan2017-04-242017-04-242013http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810010034Field investigation entitled “Variability in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) cultivars for response to phosphorus” was carried out during rabi 2012-13 at research farm of Oilseeds Section, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Soil of the experimental field was loamy sand in texture, neutral in reaction (pH 7.8), free from salts (EC 0.10 dS/m), low in organic carbon (0.37%), nitrogen (245 kg/ha), Olsen’s available phosphorus (11.7 kg/ha) and rich in potassium (165 kg/ha). The study comprised 42 treatments with three doses of phosphorus (0, 15 and 30 kg P2O5/ha) in the main plots and fourteen cultivars (RLC 1, PBR 210, PBR 91, RLM 619, RL 1359, PBR 357, ELM 123, NRCDR 2, NRCHB 601, Pusa Bold, Varuna, MLM 19, NPJ 79 and PLM 2) in the sub plots. Treatments were replicated thrice as per split plot design of experimentation. The study revealed that application of 15 kg P2O5/ha of significantly increased main shoot length, number of siliquae on main shoot and phosphorus concentration up to 120 DAS whereas application of 30 kg/ha of P2O5 significantly increased plant height, DM accumulation at maturity, LAI, PAR interception, number of siliquae per plant, seeds per siliqua, 1000 seed weight, oil content, phosphorus uptake of stover and total phosphorus uptake. Increase in seed yield (1723 kg/ha), stover yield (6269 kg/ha), oil yield (674 kg/ha) and protein yield (313 kg/ha) with application of 15 kg/ha of P2O5 over control (1607 kg/ha, 5712 kg/ha, 625 kg/ha and 291 kg/ha, respectively) was significant whereas such increase with further increase in dose of phosphorus to 30 kg/ha of P2O5 (1766 kg/ha, 6576 kg/ha, 695 kg/ha and 317 kg/ha, respectively) was inconspicuous. Application of phosphorus resulted in consistent reduction in erucic acid content of oil whereas, glucosinolate content of seed meal remained unaffected with increasing dose of phosphorus. Among test cultivars, NRCHB 601 performed markedly better than all other cultivars for growth parameters, yield attributes, yield and concentration and uptake of phosphorus. Seed yield (1907 kg/ha) and oil yield (755 kg/ha) of NRCHB 601 increased by 6.3 to 30.4 per cent and 6.5 to 30.4 per cent, respectively over rest of cultivars. Cultivars RLC 1 and ELM 123 registered considerably lower erucic acid content (1.3 and 1.7 %, respectively) in oil as compared to rest of the cultivars.ennullThesis