Botany Department, Lucknow University, Lucknow 226 007
Calcium deficiency was induced in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) cv. PPL by growing the plants till maturity in refined sand at two deficient (0.05 and 2.0 meq litre) and an adequate (8.0 meq/litre) level of calcium. Plants grown at low Ca (0.05 meq/litre) developed visible effects (48 days after sowing) as irregular chlorotic lesion on young leaves, which increased in site, coalesced and formed bigger patches. Later, these symptoms gradually proceeded downward. Calcium deficiency depressed the growth of brinjat, flower and fruit formation, The fruits were smaller, deformed, reduced in weight, length, width and volume. The biomass, concentration of calcium in leaves and fruits, contents of chlorophylls, sugars and starch were reduced and that of concentration of phenols and nitrate nitrogen increased significantly in calcium deficient brinjal. Low calcium also decreased the activity of peroxidase, ATPase, invertase and a-amylase in brinjal leaves.
