Effect of micronutrients on growth and yield of wheat

Physiology and yield attributes of wheat variety Gomal-8 were evaluated using different levels of Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn and B alone and in different combinations. The results revealed that application of boron @ 2 kg per ha produced higher leaf area index (0.33 and 3.49) and leaf area duration (2.30 and 48.90) at 49 and 98 days after sowing. The same treatment also enhanced crop growth rate (33.40 g m-2 per day), number of grains (46.50 per spike) and grain yield (3.67 t per ha) of wheat. However, the use of copper @ 8 kg per ha produced the maximum number of tillers (249 m-2) and statistically at par grain yield (3.62 t per ha) similar to that of boron application. Higher net assimilation rate (3.19 mg m-2 per day) was recorded when copper was applied @ 6 kg per ha. Among different micronutrients, zinc application produced minimum number of grains (37.75 per spike) while the use of iron did not improve plant growth. The study showed that boron application improved the wheat grains and yield while the use of copper and manganese had also positive effect on wheat productivity.