Vol. 12, Issue 6 (2023)

Author(s):
Sunil Kumar, Mayank Srivastava, S Pazhanisamy, Amrendra Kumar, Devendra Singh, Gajanand and Manoj Kumar

Abstract:
A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2021-2022 at the Research Field of TCA, Dholi, a uni-campus of RPCAU, Pusa, Bihar, India to study the identification of suitable zinc application method for agronomic biofortification on growth and yield of Potato crop. The treatment consisted of ten different methods of application with different time of application of zinc, viz., T1 Control (No Zn), T2 (Soil incorporation of ZnSO₄ @ 12.5 kg ha^-1) at the time of planting, T3 (Soil incorporation of _ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha^-1 at the time of planting), T4 (Foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 2 g litre^-1 at 25 days after planting), T5 (Foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 2 g litre^-1 at 25 and 50 days after planting), T6 (T6 + foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 2 g litre^-1 at 25 days after planting), T7 (T2 + foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 2 g litre^-1 at 25 and 50 days after planting), T8 (Tuber treatment with ZnO for 12 hours, before planting), T9 (Chelated Zn @ 4 g litre^-1 at 25 days after planting), T10 (Chelated Zn @ 4 g litre^-1 at 25 and 50 days after planting). The higher growth, yield (25.17 t ha^-1) and B:C ratio was obtained with T10, which included the application of chelated Zn-EDTA @ 4 g litre^-1 at 25 and 50 DAP, whereas T7 having soil application of 12.5 kg ha^-1 foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 2 g litre^-1 at 25 and 50 days after planting, and T6 having soil application of 12.5 kg ha^-1 foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 2 g litre^-1 at 25 days after planting, were at par with treatment T10.