Bangladesh Agron. J. 2021, 24(1): 129-138 FOLIAR APPLICATION OF BORON AND IRRIGATION LEVELS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF LENTIL S. Paul1, S.C. Sarker2, T.S. Roy3, R. Chakraborty4,M. Roy5 and M. A. Islam6 1MS Student,2,4Assistant Professor,3Professor, Department of Agronomy, 5MS Student, Department of Agroforestry and Environmental Science and 6MS Student, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka 1207. Corresponding E-mail: shimul@sau.edu.bd (Received: 05 May 2021, Accepted:18 May 2021) Keywords: Boron, splitting, irrigation, lentil, yield. Abstract The experiment was conducted to study the response of lentil to irrigation levels and different methods of boron application in relation to yield and yield contributing characters. Three levels of irrigation viz., I0: control (No irrigation), I1: one irrigation at 25 days after sowing (DAS), I2: two irrigations at 25 DAS and 40 DAS, and four levels of Boron viz., B0: control (No boron), B1: 80% recommended dose (RD) as basal + rest 20% as a foliar spray (FS) at pre-flowering (PF), B2: 60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF, B3: 40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF as treatment variables. It was found that the highest number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, 1000-seed weight, pod length, seed yield and stover yield was obtained with two irrigations. In contrast, B3 had a significant effect on the yield contributing characters of lentil. Results also revealed that numerically more seed yield (638.23 kg ha-1) was recorded in I2B3. Similar trend was found in case of stover yield (751.26 kg ha-1) and biological yield (1389.4 kg ha-1) from I2B3 combinations. These results suggested that combined application of irrigation at 25 and 40 DAS and boron at 40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF significantly enhanced the crop yields of lentil. Introduction In Bangladesh, 176,633 metric tons of lentils from an area of 385399 million hectares were produced during 2017-2018 (BBS, 2018). The poor fertility of the soil and not use of manures and proper fertilizers are considered to be the key reasons for reduced yield of lentil. Physiological processes of plants such as photosynthesis, cell growth and turgidity, etc., are affected directly or indirectly by irrigation (Reddi and Reddi, 1995).Water stress can affect leaf area growth, flowering, pod setting and resulting in low yield. In the growing stage, insufficient water supply can decrease crop quantity and quality (Debaeke and Aboudrare, 2004). Vegetative stage, pre-flowering stage and pod setting stage are critical periods for water use in the lentil cycle. The considerable rise in lentil yield characteristics can be accomplished by using irrigation water, though most farmers in Bangladesh do not use irrigation water both in pulses and lentils (Quah and Jafar, 1994). The plants require smaller amounts of micronutrients but must be available to plants for better growth and production. Boron (B) is an important for plant growth, development and quality (Pilbeam and Kirkby, 1983; Marschner, 1995; Brown et al., 1999; Dordas et al., 2007). Boron also plays a large role in sugar exchange, nitrogen fastening, protein synthesis, sucrose mailto:shimul@sau.edu.bd 130 Paul et al. synthesis, cell wall formation, membrane stability and K+ movement (Singh et al., 2014). Boron soil deficiency is a major cause of lower crop yields in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and China (Anantawiroon et al., 1997). Boron deficiency results in plant sterility due to malformation of the reproductive tissue that affects pollen germination, resulting in increased flower fall and reduced fruit area (Subasinghe et al., 2003). Irrigation and micronutrient like boron management are very important for maintaining lentil production in dry and nutrient-deficient soil. Thus, the present study was initiated to assess the effects of irrigation and boron on yield performance of lentil. Materials and Methods The experiment was conducted during from November 2018 to March 2019 at Agronomy Research Field, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207. The soil of the research field was slightly acidic, with low organic matter content before sowing. Lentil var. BARI Mashur 6 seeds were sown on November, 2018. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design where irrigation treatments in main plot:viz., Control (I0)(No irrigation), one irrigation (I1) at 25 days after sowing (DAS), two irrigations (I2) at 25 and 40 DAS and boron application viz., B0 = 0 kg B/ha (Control), B1=80% recommended dose of B as basal + Rest 20% as foliar spray (BF) at pre-flowering (PF), B2 = 60% RD of B as basal + Rest 40% as FS at PF, B3= 40% RD of B as basal + Rest 60% as FS at PF in sub-plot. The size of each unit plot was 2.5m 1.5m. The land was fertilized with urea-TSP, MoP-Boric acid @ 50-90 – 40-8.5 kg ha-1, respectively. Total Urea, TSP and MoP were applied as a basal dose. Boron was applied as boric acid as basal dose and rest amount was applied as a foliar application at before flowering stage. The seeds were treated with Autostin50 WP (Carbendazim group) before sowing to control the seed-borne diseases. The seeds were sown in rows in the furrows having a depth of 2-3 cm. Row to row distance was maintained 30 cm. Data on yield parameters were recorded and analysed using a computer-operated program MSTAT-C, and treatments means were estimated by the Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of probability (Gomez and Gomez, 1984). Results and Discussion Yield contributing parameters Number of pods plant-1 A significant variation was found in the total number of pods per plant due to different irrigation levels (Figure 1). At harvest, the highest number of pods per plant (18.59) was found in irrigation at the vegetative and reproductive stage (I2) followed by the treatment of I1 (17.78). On the other hand, the lowest number of pods per plant (12.28) was also produced in no irrigation treatment. The number of pods per plant of lentil varied significantly due to different levels of boron application (Figure 2). Result showed that the highest number of pods per plant (18.49) was obtained from B3 (40% recommended dose as basal + rest 60% as a foliar spray at pre- flowering) at 65 days after sowing (DAS). Likewise, the lowest number of pods per plant (13.47) was recorded from B0 (control) at harvest. The result showed that the maximum number of pods per plant (17.78) was recorded from I2B3 at harvest which was statistically similar to others except control. The lowest number of pods per plant (11.56) at harvest was obtained from I2B0 treatment (Table 1). Irrigation at higher frequencies may have decreased the plant water stress resulting higher partitioning of food materials into flower primordial which resulted the higher number pod setting in plants. This could be due to the greater role of foliar boron application in the production of indole acetic acid (IAA), which may have resulted in more pods per plant (Taliee and Sayadian, 2000). Foliar Application of Boron and Irrigation Levels on Lentil 131 I0 = No irrigation, I1= 25 DAS I2 = 25 & 40 DAS Fig. 1. Effect of irrigation on number of pods plant-1of Lentil at different days after sowing (SE= 0.837, 1.529, 0.2562 at 50, 65 DAS and at harvest respectively). B0 =control; B1 = 80% recommended dose as basal + rest 20% as a foliar spray at pre-flowering; B2 = 60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF; B3 = 40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF Fig. 2. Effect of boron on number of pods plant-1 of Lentil at different days after sowing (SE = 0.599, 1.5679, 1.220 at 50, 65 DAS and at harvest respectively). 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 50 DAS 65 DAS At harvest N u m b e r o f p o d s p la n t⁻ ¹ Days after sowing I₀ I₁ I₂ 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 B₀ B₁ B₂ B₃ N u m b er o f p o d s p la n t⁻ ¹ Level of foliar boron 50 DAS 65 DAS At harvest 132 Paul et al. Table 1. Interaction effect of irrigation and boron on number of pods plant-1 of lentil at different days after sowing Treatment combinations Number of Pods plant-1 50 DAS 65 DAS At harvest I0B0 2.78 bc 13.45 a-c 13.72 a I0B1 2.89 bc 12.78 a-c 13.74 ab I0B2 6.55 a 11.67 a-c 14.52 ab I0B3 5.44 a-c 10.55 bc 12.14 b I1B0 5.33 a-c 15.22 a-c 13.15 ab I1B1 5.78 ab 15.89 a-c 14.67 ab I1B2 2.56 c 14.22 a-c 15.74 ab I1B3 4.11 a-c 20.67 a 16.55 ab I2Bo 4.61 a-c 10.23 c 11.56 ab I2B1 4.22 a-c 11.78 a-c 15.26 ab I2B2 5.11 a-c 16.98 a-c 17.77 ab I2B3 5.33 a-c 19.22 ab 17.78 a SE 1.039 2.715 2.113 CV (%) 12.97 13.46 14.05 Similar letter within the parenthesis do no differ significantly at 5% level of significance according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test NS = Non-significant, I0 = No irrigation; I1= 25 DAS; I2 = 25 DAS and 40 DAS, B0 =Control; B1= 80% recommended dose as basal + rest 20% as a foliar spray at pre-flowering; B2 = 60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF; B3 = 40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF Pod length Significant variation was observed on pod length of lentil due to different levels of irrigation treatments (Table 2). Results revealed that the maximum pod length (1.31cm) was obtained from two irrigation I2 (at 25 days after sowing and 40 DAS) which was statistically similar to I1 (25 DAS). However, the lowest pod length (1.26 cm) was recorded from I0 (control).A substantial difference was also observed on seed length of lentil due to different levels of boron treatments (Table 3). Results showed that the maximum pod length (1.33cm) was obtained from B1 (80% as recommended dose as basal + rest 20% as a foliar spray at pre-flowering) was statistically similar to B2 (60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF), and B3(40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF). The lowest pod length (1.20 cm) was recorded from B0. Pod length was significantly improved by the synergistic effect of different levels of irrigation and boron application (Table 4). Results showed that higher pod length (1.42 cm) was recorded from I2B3 combination which was statistically similar to I2B2, I2B1. However, the lowest pod length (1.23cm) was recorded from I0B0 combination which was statistically similar to I0B1, I0B2, I0B3, I1B0, I1B2 and I2B0 respectively. Combinedly, boron application at two spilt and irrigation at optimum levels may have increased the cell division of flowers primordial resulted the vigorous development of pod in onward of growth stage. Number of seeds pod-1 The number of seeds per pod of lentil, significant variation was observed due to different levels of irrigation treatments (Table 2). Results revealed that the highest number of seeds per pod (1.94) was obtained from I2 (25 days after sowing and 40 DAS) which was statistically similar to I1 (25 DAS). On the other hand, the lowest number of seeds per pod (1.61) was acquired from I0 (without irrigation). A similar result was founded by Roy et al. (2016).The substantial influence was also found by different levels of boron application for the number of seeds per pod (Table 3). Result showed that maximum number of seeds per pod (2.00) was recorded from B3 which Foliar Application of Boron and Irrigation Levels on Lentil 133 was statistically identical to B1 (1.96). Conversely, the lowest number of seeds per pod (1.74) was collected from B2 (60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF). The result of this study was similar to the Pandey and Gupta (2013).The number of seeds pod-1 was significantly influenced by the interaction effect of different levels of irrigation and boron application (Table 4). Results showed that the highest number of seed pod-1 (2.00) was recorded from I2B3 combination which was statistically similar to I2B1, I2B2, I2B1 and I1B1 treatment combination. Likewise, the lowest number of seeds per pod (1.40) was recorded from I0B0 which was statistically similar to I0B2, I0B2, I1B0 I0B3, I1B0 and I2B0.Islam et al. (2018) reported that agronomic bio-fortification through foliar boron application might have enhanced the seed setting that resulted in an increasing number of seeds per pod. 1000-seed weight The irrigation levels had a significant effect on 1000-seed weight where maximum 1000-seed weight (24.26 g) was recorded from two irrigations (I2) at 25 and 40 DAS which was significantly similar to I1 (25 DAS) respectively. The lowest 1000-seed weight (19.61 g) was obtained from I0 (control). Hossain et al., (2013) was also found a significant increase in 1000- seed weight with two irrigations; one at the pit-flowering stage and another at the fruiting stage. Significant effect was also found by different levels of boron treatments for 1000-seed weight of lentil (Table 3). Table 2. Effect of irrigation on yield contributing characters of lentil at harvest Treatments Yield contributing Characters Pod Length (cm) Number of seeds pod-1 1000-seed weight (g) I0 1.26 1.61 19.61 b I1 1.30 1.94 22.84 a I2 1.31 1.86 24.26 a SE NS NS 0.725 CV (%) 8.52 12.14 11.29 Similar letter within the parenthesis do no differ significantly at 5% level of significance according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test NS = Non significant, I0 = No irrigation; I1= 25 DAS; I2 = 25 DAS and 40 DAS Table 3. Effect of boron on yield contributing characters of lentil at harvest Treatments Yield contributing characters Pod length (cm) Number of seeds pod-1 1000-seed weight (g) B0 1.20 1.92 a 21.11b B1 1.33 1.96 ab 22.43 ab B2 1.29 1.74 b 22.87 a B3 1.25 2.00 a 22.53ab SE NS 0.065 0.508 CV (%) 8.84 10.33 6.86 Similar letter within the parenthesis do no differ significantly at 5% level of significance according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test NS = Non significant, B0=Control; B1 = 80% recommended dose as basal + Rest 20% as a foliar spray at pre- flowering; B2 = 60% RD as basal + Rest 40% as FS at PF; B3 = 40% RD as basal + Rest 60% as FS at PF Result revealed that the maximum 1000-seed weight (22.87 g) was recorded from B2 which was statistically similar to B1 (22.53 g) and B3 (22.53 g). Similarly, the lowest 1000-seed weight (21.11 g) was obtained from B0 (control). Maqbool et al. (2018) and Vimalan et al. (2017) also 134 Paul et al. noted similar results. Weight of 1000-seed was significantly influenced by the interaction effect of different levels of irrigation and boron application (Table 4). Results showed that maximum 1000-seed weight (25.53 g) was recorded from I2B2 combination which was statistically identical to I1B1and similar to I2B3. Accordingly, the lowest 1000-seed weight (17.69 g) was recorded from I0B0 combination which was statistically similar to I0B1 followed by I0B2, I0B3 and I1B0, respectively. Gunasekera et al. (2006) noted that by increase in moisture stress intensity, 1000- seed weight decreases. Increased water use efficiency with increasing water stress has also been observed in lentils reflecting the lower soil evaporation component of water use without irrigation. The higher seed weight could be due to the higher mobilization of photosynthates to the developing seeds at higher accumulation boron (Islam et al., 2018). Table 4. Interaction effect of irrigation and boron on yield contributing parameters of lentil at harvest Treatment combinations Yield contributing characters Pod length (cm) Number of seeds pod-1 1000-seed weight (g) I0B0 1.23 ab 1.40 17.69 e I0B1 1.28 ab 1.40 19.99 de I0B2 1.31 ab 1.67 21.05 cd I0B3 1.22 ab 1.57 20.98 cd I1B0 1.30 ab 1.70 23.01 a-d I1B1 1.22 ab 1.89 23.35 a-c I1B2 1.21 b 1.89 22.37 b-d I1B3 1.30 ab 2.00 23.29 a-c I2Bo 1.36 ab 1.69 22.64 b-d I2B1 1.4 a 1.89 23.95 a-c I2B2 1.41 a 1.66 25.53 a I2B3 1.42 a 2.00 24.42 ab SE 0.066 NS 0.814 CV (%) 8.84 10.33 6.3 Similar letter within the parenthesis do no differ significantly at 5% level of significance according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test NS = Non-significant, I0 = No irrigation; I1= 25 DAS; I2 = 25 DAS and 40 DAS, B0 =Control; B1= 80% recommended dose as basal + rest 20% as a foliar spray at pre-flowering; B2 = 60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF; B3 = 40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF Yield characters Seed yield Irrigation level exerted a significant result on lentil seed yield (Table 5). The maximum seed yield (570.56 kg ha-1) of lentil was obtained from the treatment I2 (Irrigation at 25 DAS and 40days after sowing) followed by the treatment I1 (Irrigation at 25 days after sowing). The lowest seed yield (363.1 kg ha-1) was recorded from I0 (control). From the result, it was observed that seed yield increased gradually with the irrigation level. Shortage of irrigation water greatly reduced the yield. A similar result was found by Zhang et al. (2000). Significant variation was also found by different levels of boron treatment (Table 6). The highest seed yield (583.51 kg ha-1) was recorded from B3 followed by B2 and B1 while lowest seed yield (448.70 kg ha-1) from B0. Vimalan et al. (2017) reported similar result with seed yield of green gram. The interaction of irrigation level and boron had a significant influence on seed yield (Table 7). The maximum seed yield (638.23 kg ha-1) was recorded in from I2B3which was statistically different from I2B2, I2B1, I2B0, I1B3, I1B2, I1B1, I1B0, I0B3 combinations. Likewise, the lowest amount of seed yield (210.67 kg ha-1) was recorded from I0B0. The increase in number of irrigation resulted in Foliar Application of Boron and Irrigation Levels on Lentil 135 significant increase in seed yield, which may be attributed from the higher number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and 1000-seed weight. Increase in seed yield with increase in number of irrigations has been reported by Panda et al. (2004). If micronutrients are applied in conjunction with macronutrients to favorably influence the plant vigor, morphology, and metabolic processes (Valenciano et al., 2011). Stover yield Irrigation had a significant variation on stover yield of lentil (Table 5). Result showed that the highest stover yield (573.98 kg ha-1) was obtained from I2and the lowest stover yield (405.14 kg ha-1) was recorded from I0. The same result was found by Paramjit and Roy (2001). Variation was also found by different levels of boron on stover yield of lentil (Table 6). The result showed that the highest stover yield (598.81 kg ha-1) was recorded from B3and the lowest stover yield (496.31 kg ha-1) from B0. The combined effect of irrigation and boron showed a significant effect on stover yield of lentil (Table 7). The highest stover yield (751.20 kg ha-1) was recorded from I2B3 combination while the lowest stover yield (252.27 kg ha-1) was recorded from I0B0 (control). Application of two irrigations recorded significantly higher stover yield than one irrigation which in turn gave significantly higher stover yield than no irrigation in chickpea (Pandey et al., 1984). This variation of results indicated that the increasing irrigation levels were more effective on soil moisture and favorable soil for more to more increase plant height as well as stover yield. The results showed that stover yield directly proportional to the application of irrigation water. It might be due to the morpho-physiological growth performance of plants that depends on optimum level of irrigation, which enhanced dry matter accumulation and finally increased overall yield performance. Biological yield A significant effect was observed on biological yield of lentil in different levels of irrigation (Table 5). The maximum biological yield (1167.2 kg ha-1) was recorded from I1 (25 days after sowing) which was statistically similar to I2 (25 days after sowing and 40 DAS). The lowest biological yield (768.3 kg ha-1) were obtained from I0 (no irrigation). Roy et al. (2016) mentioned a similar result in chickpea. The biological yield was found significant in respect to boron (Table 6). The result revealed that the highest biological yield (1182.4 kg ha-1) was recorded from B3 (40% recommended dose as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF) which was significantly different from B2 (60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF). Likewise, the lowest biological yield (945.0 kg ha-1) was obtained from B0 (control).The interaction effect of irrigation and boron had a significant variation on biological yield (Table 7). From the table, it was observed that higher biological yield (1389.4 kg ha-1) was recorded in the combination of I2B3 which was statistically incompatible with other treatments. The lowest biological yield (492.9 kg ha-1) was recorded from the combination of I0B0 (control). Harvest index The harvest index was found significant in different levels of irrigation (Table 5).The highest harvest index (49.85%) was recorded from I2 (Irrigation at 25 DAS and 40DAS), which was statistically similar to I1 (25 DAS).There were no significant variations in case of harvest index due to different boron management except control treatment (Table 6). Among the treatments, B3gave the maximum harvest index (53.34%), which was followed by other treatments except B0 (control). The combined application of irrigation and boron had a significant variation on harvest index (Table 7). The result showed that the maximum harvest index was calculated from I2B3 which was statistically different from other treatments. Likewise, the lowest harvest index (43.24%) was recorded from the combination of I0B0 (control). 136 Paul et al. Table 5. Effect of irrigation on yield and harvest index of lentil at harvest Treatments Seed yield (kg ha-1) Stover yield (kg ha-1) Biological yield (kg ha-1) Harvest index (%) I0 363.10 b 405.14 b 768.24 b 47.26 I1 545.00a 552.22 a 1167.22 a 46.69 I2 570.56 a 573.98 ab 1144.54 a 49.85 SE 2.057 5.467 5.782 NS CV (%) 14.46 35.48 19.51 16.02 Similar letter within the parenthesis do no differ significantly at 5% level of significance according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test NS = Non significant, I0 = No irrigation; I1= 25 DA; I2 = 25 DAS and 40 DAS Table 6. Effect of boron on yield and harvest index of lentil at harvest Treatments Seed yield (kg ha-1) Stover yield (kg ha-1) Biological yield (kg ha-1) Harvest index (%) B0 448.70 b 496.31 945.01 b 47.48 B1 466.98 ab 486.90 953.88 b 48.95 B2 472.44 ab 553.02 1025.46ab 49.06 B3 583.51 a 598.89 1182.40 a 49.34 SE 4.063 NS 7.266 NS CV (%) 24.73 28.44 21.23 16.2 Similar letter within the parenthesis do no differ significantly at 5% level of significance according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test NS = Non-significant, B0 =Control; B1= 80% recommended dose as basal + rest 20% as a foliar spray at pre- flowering; B2 = 60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF; B3 = 40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF Table 7. Interaction effect of irrigation and boron on yield and harvest index of lentil at harvest Treatment combinations Yield and harvest index characters Seed yield (kg ha-1) Stover yield (kg ha-1) Biological yield (kg ha-1) Harvest index (%) I0B0 210.67 c 252.27 c 492.94 d 47.36 ab I0B1 268.77 bc 477.57 a-c 846.34 b-d 43.57 ab I0B2 271.03 bc 412.57 bc 783.60 cd 47.34 ab I0B3 372.20 ab 478.17 a-c 950.37bc 49.68 ab I1B0 357.23 ab 711.03 ab 1168.26 a-c 39.13 b I1B1 474.30 a 556.57 a-c 1130.87 a-c 50.78 b I1B2 508.37 ab 653.97 ab 1162.34 a-c 43.73 b I1B3 514.10 a 567.30 ab 1207.40ab 52.51 b I2Bo 512.20 a 525.63 a-c 1173.83 a-c 53.85 b I2B1 457.87 ab 426.57 bc 884.44 b-d 51.77 b I2B2 537.93 ab 592.53 ab 1130.46 a-c 47.58 b I2B3 638.23 a 751.20 a 1389.43 a 45.93 a SE 7.038 8.765 12.585 4.661 CV (%) 24.73 28.44 21.23 16.2 Similar letter within the parenthesis do no differ significantly at 5% level of significance according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test NS = Non-significant, I0 = No irrigation; I1= 25 DAS; I2 = 25 DAS and 40 DAS, B0 =Control; B1= 80% recommended dose as basal + rest 20% as a foliar spray at pre-flowering; B2 = 60% RD as basal + rest 40% as FS at PF; B3 = 40% RD as basal + rest 60% as FS at PF Foliar Application of Boron and Irrigation Levels on Lentil 137 Conclusion It can be concluded that the irrigation and boron application as foliar spray significantly influenced the seed yield of lentil. 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