The effects of foliar application of zinc and phosphorous on the morphology and yield of the dominant Iranian rice variety (Hashemi)

Abstract

Deficiencies of phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) cause the most important nutrient disorders in the world’s paddy fields. This study characterized the effect of Zn and P foliar application on morphology, grain yield and its yield components. The two factors factorial experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2017–2018. The analysis of variance indicated that most treatments influenced morphological characters, yield, and yield components. The results also revealed that the foliar application of Zn and P at 1 week before flowering and grain filling increased the fertile tiller number (15%), panicle length (20%), filled and unfertile grain number (23 and 13%). Also, the separate foliar application of Zn and P increased grain yield by about 12 and 7%, respectively. Both the straw and biological yield were increased by Zn and P foliar application about 10 and 7%, respectively. The results indicate that both P and Zn foliar application was able to improve the rice yield components and physiological characteristics toward higher yield.