Response of Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis) to the Application of Boron and Phosphorus in the Soils of Rupandehi District

A field experiment was conducted at Paklihawa Campus of the Institute of  Agriculture and Animal Science, Rupandehi, Nepal, during Oct 2004 to Feb  2005 to study the effects of boron and phosphorus on the soil nutrient status,  nutrient uptake by plant and yield of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var.  botrytis L.) variety Snowball-16. Sixteen treatment combinations, including  four levels of boron (0, 0.65, 1.3, 1.95 kg boron ha-1) and four levels of  phosphorus (0, 30, 60, 90kg P2O5 ha-1) were included. The soil was loamy  with very low in boron. Curd yield, harvest index, boron and phosphorus  uptake by plant and available boron in soil were significantly increased by  the application of boron and phosphorus in soils. Available phosphorus in  soils after the crop harvest was significantly increased by phosphorus  application. The highest curd yield, boron and phosphorus uptake by plant as  well as available boron and phosphorus in soils after the crop harvest were  obtained from the application of 1.3 kg boron with 60 kg P2O5 ha-1. The  boron uptake by plant was decreased by the application of more than 1.3kg  boron ha-1 while the phosphorus uptake was increased with increased  application of phosphorus upto 90 kg P2O5 ha-1. There were quadratic  responses of curd yield, harvest index and plant boron uptake to the applied  boron; quadratic response of plant phosphorus uptake to the applied  phosphorus, while responses of curd yield, and harvest index to the applied  phosphorus were linear. Highly significant positive correlations between  curd yield and leaf boron content (r = 0.68**) as well as curd yield and plant  phosphorus content (r = 0.79**) were observed. In conclusion, the combined  application of 1.3 kg boron and 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 was found to be the best for  cauliflower production under Paklihawa soil conditions of Rupandehi district  and can be recommended to the growers of this region.Nepal Agric. Res. J. Vol. 9, 2009, pp. 56-66DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/narj.v9i0.11642