EFFECT OF NITROGEN AND BORON ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum MILL.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, during -, November 2006 to March 2007 to study the effects of nitrogen and boron on growth and yield of tomato. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (ReBD) with three replications. The unit plot size was 3.96 m2 (2.2 m x 1.8 m). There were 12 treatments combinations in the experiment comprising 4 levels ofN (0,60,120 and 180 kg/ha designated as Nn, Nso, NI20 and NIMlhrespectively) and 3 levels ofB (0, 0.4 and 0.6 kg/ha designated as Bn, Bo,. and Bn,iI,respectively), The individual and combined effects of nitrogen (N) and boron (B) on growth, yield of tomato were studied. With increasing the levels of N, all the yield contributing characters and yield of tomato increased up to the 120 kg N/ha. Application of N @ 120 kg/ha gave the highest plant height (122.46 em), flower clusters per plant (9.67), flowers per cluster (10.44), fruits per cluster (5,76), fruits per plant (52.44);fruit weight per plant (1.60 kg), fruit weight per plot (19.14 kg) and fruit yield (48.33 t/ha). Application of B @ 0,6 kg/ha also gave the highest values of all these parameters. In interaction, N @ 120 kg/ha along with B @ 0,6 kg/ha produced the highest plant height (142,2 em), flower clusters per plant (12.67), flowers per cluster (11,67), fruits per cluster (6,33), fruits per plant (67.33), fruit weight per plant (1.95 kg), fruit weight per plot (23,20 kg) and fruit yield (58.59 t/ha).