Author(s):

SS Nooli, SY Wali, MB Patil and Hanumant P Bevinakatti

Abstract: Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millspaugh) is an important pulse crop and a principal source of protein in the Indian of vegetarians diet. Studies on the mineral nutrition of pigeonpea especially micronutrients like boron are limited. The present study was undertaken to study the response to boron nutrition through soil application and foliar spray on growth and yield of pigeonpea. Two years pooled data revealed that, boron exerted positive and significant influence on the seed yield and yield attributes of pigeonpea. Soil application of granulated boron @2.5kg ha^-1 followed by (fb) foliar application of soluble boron @0.1 % at flowering and pod filling stage resulted in significantly higher seed yield (1501kg ha^-1) compared to RPP (1138kg ha^-1). However, it was on par with soil application of granulated boron @2.5kg ha^-1 along with foliar application of soluble boron @0.1 % at pod filling (1480kg ha^-1) or at flowering stage (1418kg ha^-1) and alone soil application of granulated boron @2.5kg/ha (1407kg ha^-1). Similar trend was also noticed for net returns and BC ratio. There was no marked change in soil nutrient status after harvest of pigeonpea compared to initial values. It is inferred that application of boron along with major nutrients is essential for sustainable yield of pigeonpea, as rainfed soils are highly vulnerable to nutrient deficiencies.

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