Title : Enhancing yield, production and quality of sesame through foliar fertilization of boron and iron
Abstract:
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important oilseed crop in Pakistan, mainly grown in the kharif season. It belongs to the Pedaliaceae family and is grown for its seeds, which are used as food and oil. The seeds are a rich source of minerals, amino acids, and vitamins. Soil fertilization has many positive and negative impacts on the soil environment; in contrast, foliar application is a sustainable method to deliver required nutrients to targeted areas without affecting the environment. Boron and iron have a proven impact on crop yield and quality. Because Pakistani soils are deficient in these micronutrients, foliar sprays of boron and iron are an alternative strategy for mitigation. To quantify the effect of foliar applications of boron and iron, a field experiment was planned. The experiment design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a split arrangement and three replications. There were three concentrations of iron (.3%, .5%, .7%) and boron (5%,7.5%,10%) applied 30 days after sowing on two varieties Anmol till and TH-6. Yield and quality parameters were collected and data was statistically analysed through R programming and Statistica 8.1. LSD test at 5% was applied on treatment mean. It is noticed that .3% iron and 7.5% boron performed well both in oil quality and seed yield. It is also observed that Anmol till has more potential than TH-6 for nutrition response.
Acknowledgements: Mrs. Shazia Saeed working as senior scientist at Oil Seed Research, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute supervised in research design, data collection, lab analysis and review of thesis.
