Assessing the impact of graded level of boron fertilization on plant physiological and quality parameters and its relationship with crop yield in cauliflower-cowpea-okra sequence in an Inceptisol of North East India

A field investigation was conducted at Horticultural Experimental Farm, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat during the year 2015-17 to assess the impact of boron fertilization on plant physiological and quality parameters in cauliflower–cowpea- okra cropping sequence in an inceptisol of North East India. Five levels of boron were applied (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 \u0026 2.0 kg ha-1) along with recommended dose of NPK fertilizer once in both the years in only cauliflower to assess the direct effect of boron fertilization in soil while cowpea and okra were grown as a test crop to study the succeeding residual effects of boron fertilization in cauliflower–cowpea- okra cropping sequence. Among the different levels of boron, the assessed fate of the experimental findings revealed that application of 2 kg B ha-1 was found significant and the highest in augmenting positively the plant physiological parameters viz, total chlorophyll content and nitrate reductase activities in plant leaves and quality parameters viz., ascorbic acid and protein in edible portion in all crops as compared to other lower boron levels while the lowest were recorded in control plots which shows an incremental trend plant in physiological and quality parameters corresponding to the escalating boron level. Excepting, starch which recorded the lowest content corresponding to the highest boron application of 2 kg B ha-1 thereby exhibiting an inverse relationship between starch content and applied boron level in crops in cropping sequence.