International Journal of Agricultural Science Research Vol. 8(2), pp. 010-015, October, 2020 Available online at http://academeresearchjournals.org/journal/ijasr ISSN 2327-3321 ©2020 Academe Research Journals Review Role of Phosphorous in Wheat production: A review Muhammad Adnan* 1 , Muzamil Hussain 1 , Muhammad Zohaib Anjum 2 , Fazal ur Rehman 2 , Hafiz Muhammad Bilal 3 , Muhammad Danish Toor 4 and Rehan Ahmad 5 1 Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan 2 Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan 3 Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan 4 Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan 5 Department of Management sciences, Bahria University Islamabad, Pakistan Accepted 7 October, 2020 Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the main staple food of Pakistan and occupies a central position. Soil nutrient status is important for maintaining high quality and sustainable crop production. High yielding wheat varieties demand sufficient nutrient supply to produce maximum grain yield. There are many factors which are responsible for low yield of wheat but poor crop nutrition and use of local varieties with low yield potential are the most important form which the phosphorus is the most important one because Phosphorus (P) is one of the most widely occurring nutrients for development and growth of wheat. The present review describes the role of phosphorus fertilizer and improved varieties in good and quality wheat production. Keywords: Wheat; Phosphorus; Pakistan; Crop production INTRODUCTION Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the main staple food of Pakistan (Anjum et al., 2020) and occupies a central position in the agricultural policies and grown over 200 million hectares in the range of environment throughout the world with an annual production more than 650 million metric tons by 2025 (Yadav et al., 2010). Despite remarkable growth in food production, the risks were exposed by food crisis in the recent years. Therefore, wheat production must continue to increase by 2 percent annually particularly in developing world including South- East Asia to meet future demands imposed by population and prosperity growth Reynolds et al. (2006). Commercially cultivated wheat is basically of two types i.e. durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that differ in their genetic complexity, adaptation as well as use. A wide range of products are now made and consumed worldwide from both types of wheat. Wheat is used mainly for human consumption and supports nearly 35 percent of the world population. It is nutritious, easy to store, transport and can be processed into various types of food. The demand for wheat is expected to grow faster than any other major agricultural crop. Soil nutrient status is important for maintaining high quality and sustainable crop production. It is very important to maintain soil nutrient at sufficient level. Application of fertilizers is optional but their costs are too high for farmer. High use of these fertilizers is not profitable Shaheen et al. (2004). Almost all the soils have poor fertility status due to lack of organic matter. Our soils are phosphorus deficit (Khan et al., 2020; Ali et al., 2020) It is estimated that 80-90% of the soil falls in the range between low to medium in phosphorus and nitrogen concentration and high in calcareousness Zia (1990). Soils developed under harsh climate are poor in organic matter and nutrient like nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. High yielding wheat varieties demand sufficient nutrient supply to produce maximum grain yield Ali and Yasin (1991). Response of varieties varies to nutrient with respect to their makeup in term of their genes and physiological life process, Chandra et al. (1992). Phosphorus use efficiency is only 11-21% (Zia, 1990), which otherwise could be utilized efficiently through proper management practices. Plant species and varieties also play an important role in obtaining nitrogen and phosphorus from soil for their production. The *Corresponding author. E-mail: mughal3368@gmail.com