Boron Application in Yermosols Improves Grain Yield and Quality of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Background: Boron (B) contents are decreasing in most of crop areas of semi-arid yermosols, hindering yield and quality of chickpea. Objective: This study investigated the growth and quality alterations associated with soil applied B on chickpea in semiarid yermosols. Method: A pot experiment was conducted using Yermosols soil with two chickpea cultivars (cv. Noor-2013 and Bittle-98) and five soil applied B concentration @ 0.00, 0.18, 0.27, 0.36 and 0.45 mg B kg−1, as borax (Na2B4O7·10H2O). Treatments arrangement was according to completely randomized design with factorial arrangements and each treatment was replicated five times. Results: Soil applied B (0.45 mg B kg−1) significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved plant height, number of pods and seeds per plant, 100-grain weight, grain and biological yield, chlorophyll contents, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, B uptake by roots, seed, leaves and shoot of plant body and grain protein, crud fiber, starch and total sugar in both cultivars of chickpea, but the degree of effects was varied between cultivars. The results indicated that studied traits of both cultivars were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased in B deficient treatments. Between cultivars, Noor-2013 recorded significant improvement (P ≤ 0.05) in all parameters with 0.45 mg B kg−1 application compared than Bittle-98. Further, yield, yield attributing, physiological, B uptake by plants and grain quality parameters were positively correlated with each other except grain crude fiber. Conclusion: Our findings conclude that the adequate concentration of B (0.45 mg B kg−1) had pronounced effects on various growth, yield, physiological and grain quality traits.