Effect of Nano Boron and Conventional Boron Sources on Growth, Yield and Leaf Boron Content of Tomato cv. Anand Roma

Abstract

Boron is an essential element which is involved in the uptake of water and metabolism. Several sources of boron are available for agricultural use, including borax, boric acid, and advanced formulations such as nano-boron. The study aims to explore the influence of nano boron and different sources of boron on growth, yield and boron status in leaf of tomato cv. Anand roma. The field experiment was conducted during the Kharif-rabi season of 2023-24 and 2024-25 at Horticulture Research Farm, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with three replications. The data obtained from various observations were tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The experiment was comprised of nine treatments viz., T1: Absolute control, T2: Foliar spray of borax @ 0.2 %, T3: Foliar spray of boric acid @ 0.2 %, T4: Foliar spray of nano boron @ 100 ppm, T5: Foliar spray of nano boron @ 200 ppm, T6: Foliar spray of nano boron @ 300 ppm, T7: Foliar spray of nano boron @ 400 ppm, T8: Soil application of 1 kg boron through borax, T9: Soil application of 1 kg boron through boric acid. The foliar spray was done at 40, 55 and 70 DATP. The higher value of Plant height (109.16 and 117.93 cm) at 65 and 80 DATP, respectively, equatorial diameter (4.83 cm) and polar diameter of fruit (7.71 cm), no. of fruits per plant (33.76), average fruit weight (85.14 g), fruit yield per ha (432.21 q/ha) and total B content in leaf after one week of 3rd spray (36.62 mg/kg) was recorded with treatment T4 (Foliar spray of nano boron @ 100 ppm) in pooled analysis. The maximum no. of primary branches per plant (6.49, 10.25 and 12.80), leaf area (146.11, 168.33 and 190.45 cm2 /plant) and leaf area index (0.027, 0.031 and 0.035) at 50, 65 and 80 DATP, respectively, was found in treatment T5 (Foliar spray of nano boron @ 200 ppm) in pooled analysis. From the present investigation, it can be concluded that among different sources of boron, foliar spray of nano boron @ 100 ppm or borax @ 0.2 % at 40, 55 and 70 DATP observed maximum growth and yield parameters, while foliar spray of nano boron @ 100 ppm observed maximum boron content in tomato leaf.