Response of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) yield to zinc, boron and molybdenum application under pot conditions

  • J. B. Valenciano University of León
  • A. Boto University of León
  • V. Marcelo University of León
Keywords: dry matter, Kabuli type chickpea, micronutrients, yield components

Abstract

Spain is the main chickpea (Cicer arietinum) producing country in Europe, despite there are few studies on micronutrient application to chickpea. The response of chickpea to the applications of Zn, B and Mo was studied in pot experiments with natural conditions and acidic soils in northwest Spain from 2006 to 2008 following a factorial statistical pattern (5 × 2 × 2) with three replicates. Five concentrations of Zn (0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg Zn pot–1), two concentrations of B (0 and 2 mg B pot–1), and two concentrations of Mo (0 and 2 mg Mo pot–1) were added to the pots. Chickpea responded to the Zn, B and Mo applications. There were differences between soils. The mature plants fertilized with Zn, with B and with Mo had a greater total dry matter production. Harvest Index (HI) improved with the Zn application and with the Mo application. The highest HI was obtained with the Zn4× B2 × Mo2 treatment (60.30%) while the smallest HI was obtained with the Zn0 × B0 × Mo0 treatment (47.65%). The Zn, B and Mo applications improved seed yield, mainly due to the number of pods per plant. This was the yield component that had the most influence on, and the most correlation with seed yield. The highest seed yield was obtained from the Zn4 × B2 × Mo2 treatment (4.00 g plant–1) while the lowest was obtained from the Zn0 × B0 × Mo0 treatment (2.31 g plant–1). There was a low interaction between the three micronutrients. The Zn application was more efficient when it was applied with both B and Mo.

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Published
2010-09-01
How to Cite
Valenciano, J. B., Boto, A., & Marcelo, V. (2010). Response of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) yield to zinc, boron and molybdenum application under pot conditions. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, 8(3), 797-807. https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2010083-1281
Section
Plant production (Field and horticultural crops)