Response of wheat to soil applied calcium carbide for growth,yield and nitrogen use efficiency

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of soil applied calcium carbide (cac2) on growth,yield and nitrogen use efficiency in wheat (triticum aestivum l.). treatments applied were: t1 (control),t2 (cac2 @ 60 kg ha-1),t3 (cac2 @ 90 kg ha-1),t4 (nitrogen @ 60 kg ha-1),t5 (nitrogen @ 120 kg ha-1),t6 (cac2 @ 60 kg ha-1 + nitrogen @ 60 kg ha-1),t7 (cac2 @ 90 kg ha-1 + nitrogen @ 60 kg ha-1),t8 (cac2 @ 60 kg ha-1 + nitrogen @ 120 kg ha-1) and t9 (cac2 @ 90 kg ha-1 + nitrogen @ 120 kg ha-1). total number of tillers increased with t8 and t9 compared to other treatments while t9 produced 30% more fertile tillers compared to t5. straw yield was significantly increased with application of t8. treatment t9 significantly increased grain yield by 26% over t5 while t3 also produced more grain weight than control. nitrogen uptake by grain and straw were also increased significantly with t7,t8 and t9 over t1,t4 and t5. these results provide information that wheat showed positive response to the application of cac2 in combination with nitrogen fertilizer for increase in grain yield as well as nitrogen use efficiency.