Impact of Foliar Application of Boron and Zinc on Growth, Quality and Seed Yield of Okra

Md Habibur Rahman,Md Abdul Quddus,Tanjila Nasreen Trina,Mohammad Hossain Sarker,Md Abdus Satter,Md Razzab Ali

doi:10.11648/j.jenr.20200901.11

Abstract

The experiment was carried out in the field of Horticulture Research Centre (HRC), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur to evaluate the effect of foliar application of boron (B) and zinc (Zn) on growth, yield attributes, quality and seed yield of okra. The experiment was planned with 16 treatment combinations comprising four levels each of B (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% borax, respectively) and Zn (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% zinc sulphate, respectively) along with the blanket dose of fertilizers of N, P, K, S and cow dung at 120, 40, 80, 20 and 10000 kg ha-1, respectively were used in all treatments. The two factor experiment was laid out in the randomized complete block design with three replications. Results revealed that the foliar application of boron and zinc either single or in combination had significant effect on yield, yield attributes and quality of okra seed. Most of the yield attributes of okra were significantly increased by the combined foliar application of borax and zinc sulphate up to 0.2% borax and 0.2% zinc sulphate. The highest seed yield (2.52 t ha-1) was obtained from the treatment combination of 0.2% borax and 0.2% zinc sulphate followed by the treatment combination of 0.2% borax and 0.3% zinc sulphate. The highest oil content (16%) in seed was also produced from the same treatment (0.2% borax and 0.2% zinc sulphate). The improved protein content (17.75%) was found in combination of 0.1% borax and 0.3% zinc sulphate. The combined foliar applications of zinc and boron fertilizers were detected superior to their single application. The results suggest that the combination of 0.2% borax and 0.2% zinc sulphate could be used as foliar for seed yield maximization of okra. Hence, the foliar fertilization rates of zinc sulphate should be increased for okra production.

Highlights

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a nutritious summer vegetable in Bangladesh
Insignificant variation was observed in the plant height due to foliar application of boron (Table 2)
It could be concluded that foliar application of boron and zinc either single or in combinations, resulted improved seed yield, good performance of yield contributing characters and quality of okra seeds

Summary

Introduction

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a nutritious summer vegetable in Bangladesh. One of the main constraints of okra production is lack of quality seed. Quality seed is the key requirement of successful crop production. Production can be increased up to 15-50% [1, 2]. In. Bangladesh, the estimated annual requirement of okra seed is about 300-400 tones [3, 4]. Observation denoted that Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and private seed companies produced about 25% of the total okra seed; another 25% seeds are imported. The rest 50% seeds are farmer’s own produced seeds. The farmer’s preserved seeds are, in most cases, of inferior quality and

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion