Efficacy of glycine betaine (G.B.), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) on some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of rainfed chickpea

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of Glycine Betaine, Zinc, and Boron elements on the yield and nutritional status of rainfed Cicer arietinum, a factorial experiment, was conducted during the 2019 and 2020 cropping years in Mahabad city. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental factors included soil application of zinc sulfate at two levels (40 kg/ha and no zinc application), foliar application of boron at three levels (no use, before, and after flowering with 3 kg per 1000 L of water), and foliar application of Glycine Betaine at three levels (no use, flowering, and after flowering with 1.88 g/L). The results indicated that the year significantly affected grain yield, biological yield, and uptake of boron and zinc. The treatments involving boron and Glycine Betaine showed an increasing effect on plant height, total chlorophyll, soluble sugar, Glycine Betaine, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, 100-seed weight, grain yield, biological yield, nitrogen percentage, boron concentration, and grain protein percentage. The highest grain yield (1549.15 kg. ha−1) in the treatment without zinc application and with simultaneous application of boron and Glycine Betaine after flowering resulted in a 34.58% increase compared to the control. The foliar application of Glycine Betaine and boron in the pre-and post-flowering stages and boron in the post-flowering stage resulted in the highest grain nitrogen uptake at 60.2%. Also, the result showed that no Glycine Betaine and boron application before flowering exhibited the highest soluble sugar content.