EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AQUAGRAIN APPLICATION METHODS ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF AMARANTH

Water-retaining soil amendments like Aquagrain can play a significant role in enhancing crop performance under varying soil moisture conditions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of different Aquagrain application methods on the growth and yield of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.). The experiment was conducted at the teaching and research farm of the Center for Dryland Agriculture, BUK, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments: banding, broadcasting, drilling, and dribbling. Each treatment was replicated three times. Growth and yield parameters assessed included plant height, number of leaves, chlorophyll content, and fresh weight. Results showed no significant differences in plant height and number of leaves among the treatments across 3, 4, and 5 weeks after sowing (WAS) (e.g., at 5 WAS, plant height ranged from 59.2 cm to 68.2 cm with p = 0.3053; number of leaves ranged from 17.8 to 19.5 with p = 0.6869). However, significant differences were observed in chlorophyll content and fresh weight. At 5 WAS, chlorophyll content was highest in the broadcasting treatment (61.3 SPAD) and lowest in drilling (63.8 SPAD), with a p-value of 0.0434. Broadcasting also resulted in the highest fresh weight (3.5 kg), significantly outperforming banding (1.4 kg), with p = 0.00019. These findings suggest that broadcasting Aquagrain enhances physiological performance and biomass accumulation in armaranth under the conditions of this study.