Assessment of Micronutrient Application Strategies for Improving Productivity of Green Gram (Vigna radiata L.) under North-Western Rajasthan, India

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2025 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Tantia University, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, to assess the productivity of green gram (Vigna radiata L.) under different combinations of recommended fertiliser doses (RDF) and micronutrients. The experiment followed a randomised block design with ten treatments and three replications. The treatments comprised an untreated control and combinations of 50%, 75% or 100% RDF with zinc (Zn) at 5 kg/ha, boron (B) at 2.5 kg/ha or molybdenum (Mo) at 1 kg/ha. Yield attributes and crop yields were recorded at harvest and subjected to statistical analysis. Among the evaluated treatments, 100% RDF combined with Zn at 5 kg/ha (T8) recorded the highest number of pods per plant (21.00), grains per pod (8.87) and seed test weight (35.03 g). The same treatment produced the highest reported grain yield (1130 kg/ha) and straw yield (2549 kg/ha), compared with 758 and 1949 kg/ha, respectively, in the control. Treatments combining 100% RDF with B or Mo also showed favourable performance across the measured yield attributes. The results indicate that the tested combination of 100% RDF and Zn performed most favourably under the conditions of this experiment. Because corresponding RDF-only treatments were not included, the findings describe the performance of the nutrient combinations rather than the independent effects of individual micronutrients.