Influence of boron and iron applications on growth components, yield and yield components of wheat crop in Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

The present study titled “Influence of boron and iron applications on growth components, yield and yield components of wheat crop in Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during the Rabi season of 2023-2024 at the Research Farm of the School of Agriculture, Abhilashi University, Mandi (H.P.). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with eight treatments; each replicated three times. The treatments were: T₁ - Control (no fertilizer), T₂ - 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), T₃ - 100% RDF + 10 kg ha-1 boron, T₄ - 100% RDF + 20 kg ha-1 iron, T₅ - 75% RDF + 10 kg ha-1 boron, T₆ - 75% RDF + 20 kg ha-1 iron, T₇ - 100% RDF + 10 kg ha-1 boron + 20 kg ha-1 iron, and T₈ - 75% RDF + 10 kg ha-1 boron + 20 kg ha-1. The soils of the investigation field were moderately acidic in reaction, medium in electrical conductivity, low in organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and medium in potassium before the experimentation was started. The results showed that adding iron and boron along with RDF variation i.e., 100% & 75% significantly improved growth and yield of wheat compared to the control. The highest number of tillers, dry matter accumulation, and plant height were recorded under treatment T₇, which was statically at par with treatment T8. Yield attributes like effective tillers, spike length, grains per spike, grain yield, straw yield, and biological yield were also maximum under T₇. However, test weight and harvest index were not significantly affected by the treatments. The study found that the application of iron and boron together considerably boosts a variety of growth characteristics, yield attributes and yield in the wheat plant. Finally, the findings of this study also demonstrated the significance of iron and boron in enhancing grain output, and a thorough, large-scale investigation is a good goal for raising grain yield in cereals.