Comparative effect of different calcium carbide based formulations on growth and yield of wheat

R. Mahmood, M. Yaseen, M. Arshad and A. Tanvir Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan Abstract Soil applied calcium carbide (CaC2) reacts with water to produce acetylene (C2H2) a nitrification inhibitor gas. The soil microbes can reduce a part of acetylene to ethylene (C2H4), a potent plant growth regulator. To make it a slow release source of C2H2/C2H4, calcium carbide was coated with bee wax, paraffin wax and black enamel paint and matrices of polyethylene. Calcium carbide based formulations were compared in pot studies regarding their effect on growth and yield parameters of wheat. It was noted that calcium carbide application significantly reduced plant height, increased number of tillers and ultimately enhanced grain yield of wheat compared to that of alone NPK fertilizer treatment. Calcium carbide based formulations improved wheat crop growth and yield in the order of matrix-I (containing 21 % CaC2) > matrix-II > paint coated > bee wax coated > paraffin wax coated > matrix-III = encapsulated calcium carbide > NPK alone treatment.