Spatial Variation in Soil Properties and Their Effects on Growth Performance of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in District Charsadda, Pakistan

Abstract

Soil properties play an important role in determining crop growth and productivity. The present study evaluated the influence of selected soil properties on the growth and chlorophyll characteristics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. GM-1 across three tehsils Charsadda, Tangi, and Shabqaddar of District Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Soil samples were collected from nine villages, with three villages representing each tehsil, and a pot experiment comprising 27 pots was conducted under comparable growing conditions. After three months of growth, plant height, stem height, leaf length, leaf width, root length, and chlorophyll content were measured, while soil pH and moisture content were determined for each treatment. Significant spatial variation was observed in the growth performance of wheat. The highest mean stem height (14.34 cm) and root length (20.45 cm) were recorded in plants grown in soils collected from Tehsil Charsadda, whereas maximum mean plant height (26.53 cm), leaf width (0.64 cm), and leaf length (14.04 cm) were observed in soils from Tehsil Tangi. At the village level, the greatest plant height (33.33 cm) and stem height (20.43 cm) were recorded for Gulabad soil, while the longest roots (25.20 cm) were observed in plants grown in Utmanzai soil. Soil from Tehsil Charsadda had a pH of 6.4, whereas the highest moisture content (1.53 g) was recorded for soil from Shabqaddar. The highest chlorophyll content (11.84 mg mL⁻¹) was recorded in plants grown in Tarkha soil.