Productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum) as influenced by zinc fertilization under semi-arid conditions of Kandahar, Afghanistan

A field experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) season of 2019–20, at research farm the Afghanistan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar, Afghanistan, in randomized complete-block design to find out effect zinc on growth, yield yield-attributing characters wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Results revealed that, plant height (100.3 cm), number tillers/m2 [346 60 days after sowing (DAS) 576 90 DAS], leaf-area index (1.98), dry-matter production (291 g/m2 ), spikes/m2 (319), spikelets/spike (20.7), grains/spike (51.1) 1,000-grain weight (52.2 g) obtained with application 2.5 kg Zn/ha as basal + 2 foliar sprays @ 0.5% through ZnSO4 , were significantly higher over rest treatments. Grain (4.09 tonnes/ha), straw (6.39 tonne/ha), biological yields (10.2 tonne/ha) harvest (40%) too recorded under ZnSO4. Gross returns (147.23 × 103 `/ha), net (103.39 `/ha) benefit: cost ratios (3.19) also . Overall, soil best terms profitability wheat.