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Pak. J. Bot., 47(4): 1241-1247, 2015. |
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Updated: 18-08-15 | ||||
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EFFECT OF MICRONUTRIENTS (Zn, Cu AND B) ON PHOTOSYNTHETIC AND FRUIT YIELD ATTRIBUTES OF CITRUS RETICULATA BLANCO VAR. KINNOW
AISHA ILYAS1*, MUHAMMAD YASIN ASHRAF2*, MUMTAZ HUSSAIN1, MUHAMMAD ASHRAF3, RASHID AHMED4 AND ALI KAMAL1
Abstract: In this investigation, influence of foliar application of micronutrients (Zn, Cu and B) was studied on the improvement in photosynthetic and fruit yield attributes of citrus (Kinnow) plants. Experiments were conducted in two districts of Punjab (Sargodha and Toba Tek Singh), Pakistan varying in soil properties and agro-climatic conditions. Plants at both sites were subjected to foliar spray of three different levels (i.e. 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3%) of each Zn, Cu and B at three different fruit developmental stages while macronutrients (NPK) were applied at recommended rates as soil amendment. Micronutrients (Zn, Cu and B) application caused a significant improvement in net photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs), Chlorophyll “a”, “b”, “total”, and caroteniods in both the citrus orchards. However, effect of micronutrients i.e. Zn, Cu and B was more pronounced at the levels of 0.3, 0.1 and 0.2%, respectively. These levels of nutrients were also effective in improving fruit yield with better fruit quality.
Key words: Micronutrients, Net photosynthetic rate; Stomatal conductance; Transpiration; Photosynthetic pigments; Fruit yield.
1Department of Botany University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 2Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology (NIAB), Jhang Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan 3Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan 4Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan Corresponding: aishailyas26@yahoo.com ; niabmyashraf@gmail.com |
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