Impact of Various Concentrations of Foliar Boron and Zinc on Growth and Productivity of Tomato cv. NS4266 in a Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse

Abstract

The present study highlights the effect of Micronutrient Zinc and Boron on Growth, Yield, and Quality Parameters of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse Conditions. Study was conducted during the winter season of 2023-2024 at the Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Vegetable Science, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kalyanpur, Kanpur. The experimental design employed was a randomized block design comprising nine treatment combinations, each replicated three times. The investigation evaluated the impact of various concentrations of zinc and boron (0.1% and 0.2%) on the growth, yield, and quality attributes of tomato cultivar NS 4266 grown under polyhouse conditions. The results showed that the highest plant height (232.533 cm), earliest flowering (28 days), thickest stem girth (25.367 cm), and shortest internodal length (8.533 cm) were recorded with the combination of 0.2% zinc and 0.2% boron. Yield parameters indicated the highest number of clusters per plant (12.600), fruits per plant (64.5), fruits per cluster (13.467), polar diameter (6.367 cm), equatorial diameter (7.600 cm), average fruit weight (88.333g), and fruit yield per plant (13.300 kg) and per 1000 m² (262.267 kg) with the same treatment. Quality parameters, including maximum shelf life (9 days), total chlorophyll content (1.800 mg/g), and total soluble solids (8.233 ºBrix), were also superior when zinc and boron were applied at 0.2%.