Agricultural Science Digest
SCOPUS
  • Year: 2025
  • Volume: 45
  • Issue: 5

Impact of Foliar Application of Macro and Micro Nutrients on Growth and Physiological Traits of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Grown under Rainfed Condition

  • Author:
  • Vikas Yadav1, A.H. Khan2, Akanksha Singh3, Ajay Kumar4, Manoj Kumar1, Sonam Arya1, Yadvendra Pal Singh5,*
  • Total Page Count: 6
  • Page Number: 851 to 856

1School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology, Meerut-250 110, Uttar Pradesh, India

2Department of Crop Physiology, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya-224 229, Uttar Pradesh, India

3Department of Agriculture, Mangalayatan University, Aligarh-202 146, Uttar Pradesh, India

4Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, Shri Khushal Das University, Hanumangarh-335 801, Rajasthan, India

5Department of Soil Science and Agriculture Chemistry, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144 002, Punjab, India

*Corresponding Author: Yadvendra Pal Singh, Department of Soil Science and Agriculture Chemistry, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144 002, Punjab, India, Email: yadvendrapalsingh@gmail.com

Online published on 29 October, 2025.

Abstract

Foliar application of macro and micronutrients plays a vital role in improving plant growth and physiological processes, especially in rainfed conditions where nutrient availability is limited. Rice (Oryza sativa L.), a staple crop, requires an adequate supply of essential nutrients for optimal growth and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of foliar application of macro and micronutrients on the growth and physiological traits of rice grown under rainfed conditions.

Research was carried out at the Student's instructional farm, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Ayodhya, India, during the Kharif season usingrandomized block design with nine treatments and three replications on the rice variety Sahbhagi Dhan. Treatments included foliar application of KCl (0.5%, 1.0%), MgSO4 (1.0%, 2.0%), boric acid (0.3%, 0.6%) and salicylic acid (0.25%, 0.5%), applied twice during the vegetative and grain filling stages. Data were recorded on growth parameters such as plant height, number of tillers plant-1 and dry weight plant-1, as well as physiological traits including relative water content, chlorophyll, proline, catalase and peroxidase content at 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting.

Study showed that foliar application of macro and micronutrients significantly influenced the growth and physiological traits of rice. Among the treatments, 1.0% MgSO4 led to the most notable improvements. Statistical analysis confirmed the significance of foliar nutrients application for several traits at the 5% probability level. The findings suggest that foliar nutrient application enhances rice yield by supporting plant metabolic processes and enzyme activation, ultimately improving vegetative growth and productivity.

Keywords

Foliar application, Growth parameters, Macro, Micro nutrients, Physiological traits, Rainfed, Rice