Effect of nano-zinc and nano-boron spraying on cotton growth and yield

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out in one of the fields of Karbala Governorate - Iraq, during the summer agricultural season of 2021 to know the effect of spraying with nano-zinc and nano-boron on some characteristics of cotton yield. The experiment was applied in three replications according to the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two factors; the first factor included four levels of Nano-zinc (0, 100, 200, 300) mg L-1. The second factor included four levels of Nano-boron (0, 90, 180, 270) mg L-1. The concentration of 300 mg L- a of Nano-zinc caused a significant increase in the leaf area number of monopodial, number of sympodial branching, total boll number per plant, number of open bolls per plant, boll weight, number of seeds per boll, Seed index and Fibre index, as it gave averages of leaf area 1861 cm2, 8.50 branches Plant-1. 4.45 branches plant-1, 28.48 bolls plant-1, 15.09 bolls plant-1, 10.82 g, 6.85 g, respectively. The results also showed that Nano-boron caused a significant increase in the studied traits, where the concentration is 90 mg L-1, which caused a significant increase in plant height, leaf area number of monopodial, number of sympodial branching, total boll number per plant, number of open bolls per plant, boll weight, number of seeds per boll, Seed index and Fibre index. It gave averages of leaf area 153.91 cm, 1908 cm2, 8.56 branches plant-1, 27.98 boll plant-1, 15.07 boll plant-1, 5.37 g, 10.77 g, and 6.60 g, respectively. It is concluded that adding zinc and boron, singly or together, to the vegetative system improved cotton growth characteristics and yield. Keywords Nano fertilizer, foliar, zinc, boron, cotton