Grain yield and quality of triticale as affected by progressive application rates of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer

In a field experiment conducted at Aligarh, India, nine combinations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were factorially randomized with four triticales and one check each of wheat and rye to investigate the effect of progressive rates of application (180-300 kg N+P ha(-1)) of combined N+P fertilizer on grain yield and quality. Grain yield, protein content, and values for yield components significantly increased with increasing combined N+P fertilizer rates up to 240 kg N+P ha(-1) (200 kg N + 40 kg P ha(-1)). The response of further increases in N+P rates gradually diminished, thereafter, despite increasing N and/or P in the fertilizer combinations. The data facilitated the selection of improved cultivars in terms of yield and quality of grain and simultaneously revealed the harmful effects of overfertilization.