Effect of foliar application of nutrients on fruit and seed production of brinjal (Solanum melongena)

A plant nutrition experiment was conducted during 2009–10 and 2010–11 to study the effect of foliar application of nutrients on plant growth, yield and quality of fruit and seed of brinjal var. JC-1. Foliar sprays of urea 1% and two micronutrients (boron 0.25% and multiplex 0.25%) were applied alone or in combination with APSA-80 (adjuvant) at 30, 45 and 60 days after transplanting of seedlings. The maximum plant height (62.93 cm), number of branches (6.36) and leaves (55.67) per plant were recorded with boron (0.25%)+APSA-80, followed by multiplex (0.25%)+APSA-80. Earliest flowering and fruiting (72 and 94 days, respectively) were also recorded with boron (0.25%)+APSA-80 resulting in highest number of fruits per plant (8.63) and total yield (356.55 q/ha). All the foliar sprays increased the seed yield per fruit over untreated plants, with the highest (8.50 g/fruit) recorded in boron (0.25%)+APSA-80. The highest seed viability was also observed with boron (0.25%)+APSA-80 compared to other treatments. Calculation of production economics revealed boron (0.25%)+APSA-80 to be the most remunerative with a benefit: cost ratio of 4.07 and 4.63 for fruit and seed production, respectively, against 3.65 and 3.10 in untreated control.