Effect of Pinching and Foliar nutrition on Growth, Yield and Seed quality parameters of Rapeseed-Mustard
Loading...
Date
2023-12-21
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Seed Science and Technology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252
Abstract
Oilseed crops play a crucial role in the global agricultural landscape. Among these, rapeseed (Brassica rapa var. yellow sarson) and mustard (Brassica juncea) emerge as the third-most significant edible oilseed crops, cultivated in approximately 53 countries worldwide. India, as the world's fourth-largest producer, contributes substantially to the cultivation of rapeseed and mustard, occupying 28.3% of global acreage and contributing 12.97% to global production. In India, rapeseed and mustard are mainly grown during the winter. In eastern India, mainly in West Bengal and its neighbouring states, where winter is relatively short and moderate, farmers favour rapeseed and mustard since these crops can be grown with one or two critical irrigations, but the potential yield of this crop has not been achieved. Suboptimal yield in this state can be attributed to various factors, with late sowing and insufficient fertilizer utilization emerging as the primary contributors. These factors result in stunted plant growth, forced early maturity, and reduced dry matter accumulation. Excessive fertilizer use during top-dressing also exacerbates the issue, negatively impacting the ecosystem.
Several techniques have been attempted so far, but the foliar application of nutrients appears to be more effective. It enhances seed quality and yield efficiency even under less favourable climatic conditions. Pinching is another technique that helps to increase branch formation, and flower production, which ultimately helps the plant's overall growth and enhances yield.
In light of this, the present experiment was carried out to assess the practicality of foliar nano-urea and boron, along with pinching, at Jaguli Instructional Farm, Mohanpur, BCKV, Nadia, West Bengal, during the rabi season of 2022-2023 as per split-plot design, accounting for two main plot factors, viz., with pinching (P1), without pinching (P0), and five sub-plot factors, viz., T1: 50% N and 100% P2O5, K2O at basal + 2 ml L-1 nano urea; T2: 50% N &100% P2O5, K2O at basal + 4 ml L-1 nano urea; T3: 50% N &100% P2O5, K2O at basal + 6 ml L-1 nano urea; T4: 50% N and 100% P2O5, K2O at basal + 4 ml L-1 nano urea and 0.1% boron; T5, Control(50% N and 100% P2O5, K2O at basal). Nano urea and Boron were applied twice at 30 and 45 DAS. Two varieties, one each of rapeseed and mustard, namely, Anushka and TBM-143, were considered for this experiment. Additionally, a laboratory study using a completely randomized design, studied the storage potentiality of rapeseed seeds in seed Testing Laboratory of Department of seed Science and Technology, BCKV, Nadia, West Bengal.
The results showed that the application of boron encouraged early flowering, whereas the application of nano urea lengthened the reproductive period in both varieties. Among the treatments, T4 and T2 surpassed all other treatments, although they were noted as statistically at par for most of the physiological and yield-defining characters. However, boron plays a significant role in the yield enhancement of TBM-143. During the assessment of storage potentiality, it was noted that harvested seeds stored in 700-gauge polythene packets and desiccators registered minimum deterioration over other storage containers, whereas seeds stored in cloth bags deteriorated the most.
Therefore, it can be concluded that pinching profoundly influences the morphological attributes of rapeseed and mustard but has little to no effect on the majority of physiological characters and yield-attributing traits. Regarding treatments, plant biometry is positively impacted by treatments T2 and T3, while the majority of the parameters, including plant phenology, physiological features, yield, and yield-defining attributes, are significantly influenced by T2 and T4. In storage, initial seed quality can be safeguarded for up to six months using a desiccator and 700-gauge polythene packet. Overall, the application of nano urea @ 4ml L-1 coupled with 0.1% boron at the initial growth stage, twice with an interval of 15 days, can be deemed the most effective, irrespective of varieties. However, before making recommendations to farmers, repeated trials in different agro-climatic zones as well as an estimation of cost-effectiveness are required for confirmation.