EFFECT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF POTASSIUM AND BORON ON MORPHO-PHYSIOLOGY AND YIELD OF TOMATO

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at the Agricultural Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, during November 2017 to April 2018 to study the effect of different levels of potassium and boron on morpho-physiology and yield of tomato. The experiment consisted of two factors: Factor-A viz. K (0 kg K ha -1 ), K 1 (60 kg K ha -1 ) and K 2 (100 kg K ha ii -1 ) and Factor-B viz. B (0 kg B ha -1 ), B 1 (0.5 kg B ha -1 ) and B 2 (1.0 kg B ha -1 ). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. The total treatment combinations were nine (9) and the planting material was BARI Tomato-14. Results revealed that potassium (K) and boron (B) individually as well as in combination showed significant variation among the treatments for most of the parameters. Different doses of K showed significant influence on the plant height and number of leaves plant -1 at 50 and 70 DAT, number of flower cluster plant -1 , fruit diameter, single fruit weight, number of fruits cluster -1 , number of fruits plant -1 , fruit weight plant -1 and fruit yield (t ha ). Boron application failed to show significant effect on plant height, number of leaves plant -1 ,SPAD value, fruit length. In addition, B showed significant effects yield contributing characters such as number of fruits plant , fruit diameter, fruit weight plant -1 and fruit yield (t ha -1 ).In terms of combination of K and B, the maximum plant height (54.60 cm) and number of leaves plant

(15.35) were achieved from the treatment combination of K 2 B . The together application of K 2 and B increased the highest fruit yield of tomato which are consistent the different morphological and yield contributing characters of this study. Therefore, it is concluded that K in combination with B could increase fruit yield of tomato under the climatic and adaphic condition of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU).