Comparative study on growth and productivity in broccoli cultivars with boron and manganese micronutrients in the subtropical region

Broccoli is a heavy feeder of nutrients, and a widespread deficiency, particularly for micronutrients, has limited its quality production. Although micronutrients are generally required in minimal quantities, their deficiency leads to various anatomical, physiological, and biological changes. With the ever-increasing areas of broccoli, the deficiency of microelements has become a serious threat. Understanding the significance and requirements of different micronutrients, especially boron and manganese, is a prime concern to improve broccoli production and quality. Four broccoli varieties namely Shank, Sisar, Palam Vichitra, and Sportan were taken for the study, and field experiments were carried out from 2018 to 20 on the effect of 1% and 5% boron and 10 and 20% of manganese levels on the growth and productivity of sprouting broccoli. The field study was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications, and a phenomenon where two levels of randomization are applied to assign experimental units to treatments. Observations were recorded from the selected families of each plot and replications for each year. The study results found that maximum plant height at 30 DAT (21.00 cm), 45 DAT (40.80 cm) and 60 DAT (62.71 cm), leaves per plant (18.45), root diameter (19.04 mm), root length (6.71cm), stalk diameter (7.61 cm), stalk length (17.91 cm) head weight (297.41 g), head diameter (19.05 cm), TSS (7.66°Brix) and yield (146.87 q/ha) were recorded with treatment T₂V₂ (5% boron spray on Sisar). Whereas, the maximum leaf chlorophyll content (61.46 mg/g) was recorded with treatment T₁V₃ (1% boron spray on Palam Vichitra) and shoots per plant (5.60) was recorded with T₄V₂ (20% manganese spray on Sisar). The foliar spray of 5% boron, and 10% manganese was found to maximize the growth, yield, and quality of broccoli. Sisar was best performed with 5% boron followed by Shank and Palam Vichitra. Thus, the results of the current work will offer an approach to efficient cultivation of broccoli in subtropical conditions, which could help improve productivity and marketing of this important vegetable crop.