Journal of Agricultural Technology 2008, V.4(2):177-184177Effect of foliar application of macro and micro nutrients onproduction of green chilies (Capsicum annuum L.)Q. B. Baloch1*, Q. I. Chachar1 and M. N. Tareen21Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam-70060-Pakistan.2Agriculture Research Institute, Quetta, Pakistan.Baloch, Q. B., Chachar, Q. I. and Tareen, M. N. (2008). Effect of foliar application of macro andmicro nutrients on production of green chilies (Capsicum annuum L.). Journal of AgriculturalTechnology 4(2): 174-184.A commercial foliar fertilizer, HiGrow is a composition of various macro and micronutrientswas applied on chilies at the concentrations 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 ml/L water in addition to soilapplied NPK fertilizers at 50-50-25 kg ha-1 to investigate their associative effect on productionof green chilies. HiGrow at 8 ml/L water resulted 68 cm plant height, 6.93 branches plant-1,118.86 fruits plant-1, 4.19 cm fruit length, 395 g fresh chilies fruit weight plant-1 and 14977 kgfresh chilies yield ha-1; while decreasing concentration to 7 ml/L water produced 67.86 cmplant height, 6.53 branches plant-1, 117.20 fruits plant-1, 4.14 cm fruit length, 391.33 g freshchilies weight plant-1 and 14562.33 kg fresh chilies yield ha-1. HiGrow at 6 ml/L water formed66.46 cm plant height, 5.80 branches plant-1, 112.36 fruits plant-1, 3.89 cm fruit length, 351.66 gfresh chilies weight plant-1 and 12696.33 kg fresh chilies yield ha-1. Similarly, the reducedHiGrow concentration to 5 ml/L and 4 ml/L water caused significant negative effect on all thegrowth and yield components of chilies. However, the control plots produced 63.46 cm plantheight, 4.20 branches plant-1, 93.06 fruits plant-1, 2.87 cm fruit length, 388.33 g fresh chiliesweight plant-1 and 10525.00 kg fresh chilies yield ha-1 which were significantly lesser thanfoliar fed plots. There was a consecutive improvement in growth and yield components ofchilies with increase in HiGrow concentration, but such increase beyond 7 ml/L water was notso pronounced and hence 7 ml/L water was considered to be an optimum HiGrowconcentration for commercial production of chilies.Key words: chilies, foliar fertilizers, HiGrow, growth, fresh fruit yield.IntroductionChilies (Capsicum annuum L.) belong to the nightshade family,Solanaceae and originates from South America; the name comes from Nahuatvia the Spanish word chili (Wikipedia, 2006). Chilies are very rich in vitaminC and pro-vitamin A, particularly the red chilies. Yellow and especially green* Corresponding author: Q.B. Baloch; e-mail: qbbaloch@yahoo.com178chilies (which are essentially unripe fruit) contain a considerably lower amountof both substances. In addition, peppers are a good source of most B vitamins,and vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high in potassium and high inmagnesium and iron. Their high vitamin C content can also substantiallyincrease the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal, such asbeans and grains (Sparkyby, 2006).The yield of chilies obtained in Pakistan is far less than the potentialexists. The causes of low yield may be due to improper cultural operations,inputs etc. Of the inputs, N.P.K. fertilizers play a significant role in successfulchillies production (Jack et al., (2006). Balanced nutrients are paid littleattention. Its deficiencies emerge in the farmer’s field and are recognized as thesymptoms on foliage and reduction in the quality and yield. Rapid uptake ofnutrients applied to crop foliage ensures a fast response within the plant asmicronutrients directly enter the metabolic processes. Micronutrients arecompletely available to the plant and thus particularly effective because theyare not fixed or diluted in large volumes of soil. However, overdosing orapplication at undesired time can lead to crop damage. For intensive cropping

with continuously high yield levels more micronutrients are required, andhence it is best to use more frequent applications at the lower rate. If slightdeficiency symptoms are already visible on the plants then larger quantities ofmicronutrients are necessary to achieve a curative effect. In cases of severedeficiency, when the plant parts are obviously discoloured or distorted andpartially dying-off, the plants are so weakened that they react very sensitivelyto any type of treatment. For this reason the lower rate should be appliedrepeatedly at 2-week intervals (Anonymous, 2007).Besides, foliar application of various macro and micro nutrients has beenproved beneficial, foliar feeding is a relatively new and controversial techniqueof feeding plants by applying liquid fertilizer directly to their leaves. In somecases, a dramatic example being tomatoes, this goes against long-standingstructures ever allowing the leaves to get wet. While the conventional wisdomis "don't even spray your tomato plants, only water them by soaking the groundbeneath", modern gardening techniques strongly recommend spraying theleaves of a tomato plant with fertilizer, as part of the normal fertilizationroutine (Anonymous, 2004).Foliar fertilizers are being used in vegetable and fruit crops that containvarious macro and micro nutrients. Foliar fertilizers are known to immediatelydeliver nutrients to the tissues and organs of the crop. For instance, 80 per centof the phosphorus applied through conventional fertilizers may get fixed up inthe soil but up to 80 percent of the foliar-added phosphorus is directlyabsorbed. The study showed that crop yield in chillies enhanced whenJournal of Agricultural Technology 2008, V.4(2):177-184179micronutrients were applied in combination .The foliar application of zinc 3.0ppm, copper 1.0 ppm and boron 0.5 ppm gave maximum net return to thegrowers. Similarly for chili, the treatment of 100 per cent NK + three sprays ofPolyfeed + two sprays of Multi-K produced the highest number of fruits perplant, dry fruit yield, net income and benefit cost ratio. Increasing frequency ofPolyfeed spraying from three to four times do not increase the number of chilifruits per plant (Jiskani, 2005). Considering the significance of foliar fertilizersfor chillies, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of foliarapplication of macro and micro nutrients on production of green chillies, usinga commercial product called “HiGrow” which consists of essential macro andmicro nutrients.Materials and methodsThe experiment was laid out in a three replicated randomized completelyblock design using chillies variety “Ghotki” in a plot size of 3.0m × 3.5m(10.50m2). The land was thoroughly ploughed up by giving 2 dry plowings, theclods were crushed, and leveling was done to eradicate the weeds and to makethe soil surface leveled for uniform distribution of irrigation water duringsoaking dose. Ridges were prepared at the distance of 60 cm and the sub-plotswere separated from each other by 45 cm wide bunds. Each block then wassub-divided into three beds. The beds were separated from each other by 30 cmwide bunds. The sowing of seed for nursery was done on 16th February, 2006and on attaining the age of one and half month, the nursery/seedlings weretransplanted on one side of the ridges on 30th March, 2006. Chillies crop wasgiven various foliar applications of HiGrow, which is a compound commercial

fertilizer, particularly prepared for foliar application of various macro andmicronutrients to improve the foliage and production of chillies. The HiGrowis manufactured by the Agriculture Technology Institute Karachi containingNitrophen (4 %), Nitrogen compound (12%), Iron (2 %), Magnesium 2%,Manganese 2%, Boron 2%, Copper 4%, Molybdenum 2%, Potash 8%, P2O5

12% and Calcium 8% (w/v). The NPK fertilizers were applied at the rate of 50-50-25 Kg ha-1 in all the experimental plots uniformly. The nitrogen was appliedin the form of Urea (46% N), while P in the form of di-ammonium phosphate(18-45% N-P) and sulphate of potash (SOP) was applied to get the requireddose of K.Interculturing was followed by earthing and weeding operations wereperformed when the crop had good stand. Plant protection measures were alsokept in operation and three sprayings were done when it was felt that the pestpopulation is crossing economic injury level. For identification of insect pestsand spraying recommendations, the help was acquired from Entomology180Section of Agriculture Research Institute, Tandojam. Up to the final harvest,the crop was irrigated when felt necessary and three sprayings of insecticides(Dimethoate) were applied against fruit borers. For recording observations onvarious parameters, five plants in each bed were selected at random andlabeled. The data thus recorded were tabulated and statistically analyzed todiscriminate the superiority of treatment means, using Least SignificantDifferences (L.S.D) (Gomez and Gomez, 1984) and Mstat-C ComputerSoftware.Results and discussionPlant heightChilies received foliar application of HiGrow at the concentration of 8ml/L water resulted plants of maximum height (68cm), closely followed by67.86 and 66.46 cm plant height observed when HiGrow was foliarly applied atthe concentrations of 7 and 6 ml/L water, respectively (Table 1). The resultsfurther indicated that reduced HiGrow concentration of 5 and 4 ml/L waterproduced plants of lesser height i.e. 65.86 and 65.60 cm, respectively.However, the least plant height of 63.46 cm was recorded in control, whereonly soil applied NPK fertilizers were used and foliar application of HiGrowwas controlled. The results of the present investigation are in concurrence withRadulovic (1996), who applied foliar application of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Fe, B,Zn, Mn and Cu and resultantly these nutrients were established in leaves,indicating the possibility of reducing the application of nitrogen fertilizers.Number of branchesThe chilies crop that supplied with foliar application of HiGrow at theconcentration of 8 ml/L water produced maximum number of branches (6.93plant-1), followed by 6.53 and 5.80 number of branches plant-1 at 7 and 6 ml/Lwater, respectively (Table 1). The lower HiGrow concentration of 5 and 4 ml/Lwater produced relatively lesser number of branches i.e. 5.20 and 4.26,respectively. However, the minimum number of branches (4.20 plant-1) wasrecorded in control plots, where only NPK fertilizers were applied. Similarresults have been reported by Sharma et al. (2000) using compound liquidfertilizer containing most macro and micro nutrients “Polyfeed and Multi”alongwith NPK and mentioned that these fertilizers provide nutrients to the

plant by foliar application and significant effect on branches per plant.Journal of Agricultural Technology 2008, V.4(2):177-184181Number of fruitsFoliar application of HiGrow at the concentration of 8 ml/L waterproduced maximum number of fruits (118.86 plant-1), followed by 117.20 and112.36 fruits plant-1 at of 7 and 6 ml/L water, respectively (Table 1). Thereduced HiGrow concentration of 5 and 4 ml/L water resulted reduction in thenumber of fruits to the level of 102.56 and 99.60 plant-1, respectively.However, the lowest number of fruits (93.06 plant-1) was recorded in controlplots. Similar studies have also been conducted by Jiskani (2005) who foundthat foliar application of zinc 3.0 ppm, copper 1.0 ppm and boron 0.5 ppmproduced the highest number of fruits per plant and increasing frequency ofPolyfeed spraying from three to four times did not increase the number of chilifruits per plant.Fruit lengthFoliar application of HiGrow at the concentration of 8 ml/L waterresulted significantly longer fruits (4.19 cm) followed by average fruit lengthof 4.14 and 3.89 cm at 7 and 6 ml/L water, respectively (Table 1). Theminimizing HiGrow concentration to 5 and 4 ml/L water further decreased fruitlength to the level of 3.78 and 3.37 cm, respectively. However, the minimumfruit length of 2.87 cm was obtained in control plots. Similarly, Anonymous(2007) applied a foliar fertilizer “Fetrilon-Combi” in chillies and foundconsiderable improvement in fruit development and crop yields as compared tothose supplied only with straight chemical fertilizers.Fresh fruit weightThe fresh fruit weight was remarkably maximum (395 g plant-1) in plotsfertilized with foliar application of HiGrow at the highest concentration of 8ml/L water followed by average fresh fruit weight of 391.33 and 3.51 g plant-1

achieved from the treatments under foliar application of macro and micronutrients (HiGrow) at the concentrations of 7 and 6 ml/L water, respectively(Table 1). The reduction in HiGrow concentration to 5 and 4 ml/L water furtherdiminished fresh fruit weight to 337.66 and 308.00 g plant-1, respectively.However, the minimum fresh fruit weight of 288.33 g plant-1 was obtained incontrol plots. These results are in line with those of Patil and Biradar (2001)who applied foliar fertilizer “Polyfeed” and found significant effect on fruitweight of chillies.182Fresh fruit yieldFresh fruit yield was remarkably maximum (14977 kg ha-1) in plotsfertilized with foliar application of HiGrow at the highest concentration of 8ml/L water followed by average fresh fruit yield of 14562 and 12696.33 kg ha-1

at 7 and 6 ml/L water, respectively (Table 1). The reduced concentrations ofHiGrow i.e. 5 ml/L or 4 ml/L water further deteriorated the fresh fruit yield to12059.33 and 11187 kg ha-1, respectively. However, the minimum fresh fruityield of 10525 kg ha-1 was recorded in control plots. These results have beenfurther supported by Jiskani (2005), who reported that significant effect oncrop yield in chillies was recorded when micronutrients were applied incombination with NPK instead of alone; while Lovatt (2005) indicated that

foliar spray of 1 % either Polyfeed or Multi ‘K’ at 45, 60 and 75 days afterplanting increased the crop yield by about 10 % over unsprayed control.ConclusionsConsecutive improvement in growth and yield of chilies was evidentwith increase in HiGrow concentration. but application beyond 7 ml/L waterwas not effective and thus 7 ml/L water was considered to be an optimumHiGrow concentration for commercial production of chillies.Table 1. Mean values for various growth and yield components of chilies asinfluenced by foliar application of macro and micro nutrients (HiGrow).TreatmentsPlantheight(cm)No. ofbranchesper plantNo. offruits perplantFruitlength(cm)Fresh fruitweight(g plant-1)Fresh fruityield(kg ha-1)T1=Control 63.46 c 4.20 d 93.06 d 2.87 d 288.33 e 10525.00 eT2=HiGrow @ 4 ml/L water 65.60 b 4.26 d 99.60 c 3.37 b 308.00 d 11187.00 dT3=HiGrow @ 5 ml/L water 65.86 b 5.20 c 102.56 c 3.78 b 337.66 c 12059.66 cT4=HiGrow @ 6 ml/L water 66.46 a 5.80 b 112.36 b 3.89 a 351.66 b 12696.33 bT5=HiGrow @ 7 ml/L water 67.86 a 6.53 ab 117.20 a 4.14 a 391.33 a 14562.33 aT6=HiGrow @ 8 ml/L water 68.00 a 6.93 a 118.86 a 4.19 a 395.00 a 14977.00 aSE± 0.4165 0.0755 1.0379 0.0657 2.2224 65.4614LSD 0.05 1.750 0.3163 4.3610 0.2766 9.3380 425.10LSD 0.01 2.398 0.4334 5.9750 0.3790 12.790 536.90CV% 4.54 5.73 4.37 4.34 5.58 5.71Values followed by same letters do not differ significantly at 0.05 probability level.Journal of Agricultural Technology 2008, V.4(2):177-184183ReferencesAnonymous. (2004) Chillies Home Page. Global Commercial Services for the SpiceIndustry. Spizes.Com. Quest International. http://www.Spizes.com.Anonymous. (2007) Micronutrient fertilizers: Fetrilon Combi, a foliar application forvegetables. http://www.agnova.com.au/resources/Fetrilon-Combi-guide.Gomez, A.K., and Gomez, A.A. (1984) Statistical procedures for agricultural research. (2ndedition). John Wiley and Sons. New York.Hangarge, D.S., Raut, R.S., Malewar, G.U., More, S.D. and Keshbhat, S.S. (2002) Yieldattributes and nutrients uptake by chili due to organics and inorganics on vertisol.Journal of Maharashtra Agricultural Universities 27(1): 109-110.Jack, H.E., Syndi, B., Krystle, C. and Axiom, C. (2006) How to grow a tomato plant underdifferent fertility regimes. WikiHow, pp. 1-10.Jiskani, M.M. (2005) Foliar fertilizers — fast acting agents. Daily DAWN, the Internet Edition,Monday December 5, 2005.Lovatt, C.J. (2005) Formulation of foliar phosphorus fertilizer for chillies.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6929673.htmlPatil, R. and Biradar, R. (2001) Effect of foliar application of essential nutrients on chillies.Agricultura Tecnica Santiago 51(3): 256-259.Radulovic, M. (1996) Soil and vegetable nutrients supply in the region of the ZetaMontenegro. Review-of-Research-Work-at-the-Faculty-of-Agriculture,-Belgrade41(1): 31-40.Sharma, B.R., Chadha, A.P.S. and Bajpai, H.K. (2000) Response of chili Capsicumannuum Linn. to nitrogen and phosphorus levels under irrigated condition.Advances in Plant Sciences 9(2): 213-214.Sparkyby, F. (2006) Sparky Boy Enterprises. Planet Natural, pp. 1-6.Wikipedia. (2006) Chillies: history, cultivation and processing. Wikipedia, the biggest onlinestudents’ website, pp. 1-6.(Received 26 August 2008; accepted 22 October 2008)

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Effect of Secondary and Micronutrients on Yield, NutrientUptake and Quality of Chilli*Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is animportant spice cum vegetable crop ofcommercial importance in India and has uniqueplace in human diet. Economically, chilli is agood choice for generating higher income amongthe farming sector. Chilli is an energy rich cropand obviously the requirement of nutrientsincluding secondary and micronutrients is veryhigh (Bidari, 2000). Unless the soils arereplenished with all the nutrients taken up by thecrop, there will be persistent nutrient exhaustionposing a great threat to sustainable chilliproduction. Since chemical fertilizer alone willnot be able to meet the total nutrient needs,integrated use of all potential sources of plantnutrients seems to be the only option to maintainsoil fertility and crop productivity. In transitionalbelt of Dharwad district, the chilli is extensivelygrown for red dry fruits in deep black and mediumblack soil. The secondary and micronutrients ofthese soils are low and requirement for the cropis high. The research information is also lackingon the effect of secondary and micronutrients onyield and quality of chilli. It is essential to studythe response of chilli to secondary andmicronutrients.

A field experiment was conducted atMain Research Station, University of AgriculturalSciences, Dharwad during kharif, 2001. Theexperiment was laid out in a randomized blockdesign with three replications. The soil wasmedium black having pH of 7.6, available N (210kg ha-1), available P (32 kg ha-1), available K (318kg ha-1), Ca (C mol (p+) 33 kg-1), S (30 kg ha-1)and Fe (5.5 ppm). There were nine treatmentcombinations viz., T1- NPK alone (control), T2-NPK+FYM, T3-NPK+Fe,T4- NPK+S, T5-NPK+Ca,T6- NPK+S+Fe, T7-NPK+Ca+Fe, T8-NPK+Ca+SKarnataka J. Agri. Sci.,17 (3):(553-556) 2004* Part of M.Sc.(Agri) thesis sumbitted by the senior author to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad-580 005and T9-NPK+Ca+S+Fe. Chilli crop was plantedon 19th July 2001 with spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm.N, P and K (100:50:50) were applied in the formof urea, diammonium phosphate and muriate ofpotash respectively. FYM @ 10 tonne, Ca @ 30kg (calcium carbonate) and S @ 60 kg ha-1

(elemental) were applied 10 days beforetransplanting in the main field. Half of therecommended dose of fertilizer (NPK) was appliedat the time of transplanting. Remaining 50 percent of N, P, K and full dose of Fe @ 12 kg (ironchloride) were applied after 6 weeks oftransplanting.The application of FYM along with majornutrients (NPK) recorded significantly higher drychilli fruit yield (844 kg ha-1) when compared toNPK alone (695 kg ha-1). But it was on par withNPK+S+Fe (844 kg ha-1), NPK+Ca+S (841 kgha-1) and NPK+Ca+Fe (840 kg ha-1). The fruitweight hill-1 and hundred fruit weight weresignificantly higher with the application ofNPK+FYM (86.6 g and 200.5 g respectively), ascompared to the NPK alone (Table 1). However,rest of the treatments were on par with each other.Similarly, increase in the yield of chilli due toapplicationof FYM along with major nutrients wasreported by Shashidhara (2000). Application ofNPK alone recorded significantly higher weightof discoloured fruits (112.0 kg ha-1). Rest of thetreatments did not differ significantly with eachother. This may be due to desirable effect by theapplication of Ca, S and Fe either directly orthrough FYM. Since Ca has desirable effect onfruit growth, development and quality help in delaythe ripening and senescence and thus resultedin good quality fruits (Sharma et al., 1996). Theapplication of NPK+Ca+Fe recorded significantlyhigher oleoresin yield (109.41kg ha-1) as554Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences: 17 (3), 2004compared to application of NPK+FYM (98.46 kgha-1), NPK+Ca+S (96.75 kg ha-1), NPK+S (87.98

kg ha-1) and NPK+Fe (87.91 kg ha-1). But it wason par with NPK+Ca+S+Fe (108.08 kg ha-1) andNPK+S+Fe (107.08 kg ha-1). Application of NPKalone recorded significantly lower oleoresin yield(64.50 kg ha-1) compared to other treatments(Table1). These results are also in conformity withthe findings of Maheshwarappa (1997). Theascorbic acid content in green chilli substantiallyincreased with the application of FYM,combination of secondary and micronutrientsalong with major nutrients (NPK) as compared100 NPK alone (Table 1). The results agree withthe findings of Partima Singh and Dube (2000).The nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium,calcium and sulphur uptake were significantlyhigher with combined application of secondaryand micronutrients or with FYM along with majornutrients (NPK) over NPK alone. The applicationof major nutrients (NPK) along with FYM recordedsignificantly higher nitrogen, phosphorus,potassium, calcium and sulphur uptake (63.93kg ha-1, 18.54 kg ha-1, 76.71 kg ha-1 1182.14 mghill-1 and 363.08 mg hill-1, respectively) ascompared to NPK alone (Table 2). The rest ofthe treatments were on par. There was nosignificant difference with respect to iron uptakedue to different treatments. However, maximumiron uptake was recorded with the application ofFYM along with NPK (27.96 mg hill-1) and loweriron uptake was in NPK+Ca (23.94 mg hill-1) andNPK alone (25.35 mg hill-1).In the present investigation it is evidentthat, there was increased uptake of N, P, K, CaS and Fe with combined application of FYM orcombinations of secondary and micronutrientsalong with NPK as compared to NPK alone.Increased N, P and K uptake due to theapplication of organics has also been reportedby Chavan et al. (1997). Increased Ca uptake isattributed to additional quantity of Ca applieddirectly or through FYM. Similar results werereported by Santos et al. (1990).Table 1. Yield, yield components and quality parameters of chilli as influenced by secondary andmicronutrientsYield Fruit Hundred Weight of Oleoresin AscorbicTreatments (kg ha-1) weight fruit weight discoloured (kg ha-1) acid(g/hill) (g) fruits (mg 100 g-1)(kg ha-1)T1-NPK alone 695.46 60.83 189.9 112.00 64.50 59.50(Control)T2- NPK+FYM 844.39 86.60 200.5 100.00 98.45 76.60T3 NPK+Fe 803.44 78.10 195.9 99.96 87.91 60.07T4 NPK+S 768.47 78.00 192.3 102.00 87.98 78.73T5 NPK+ Ca 723.24 76.27 195.4 99.00 75.48 62.17T6 NPK+S+Fe 843.86 83.90 197.6 92.50 107.08 76.73T7 NPK+Ca+Fe 840.42 85.47 198.1 96.00 109.41 74.83T8 NPK+Ca+S 841.20 80.27 198.2 98.00 96.75 79.83

T9 NPK+Ca+S+Fe 839.38 82.60 196.5 95.83 108.08 81.67S.Em± 33.70 2.98 1.78 2.84 2.22 1.08LSD (0.05) 100.99 8.95 5.35 8.53 6.66 3.25555Table 2. Nutrient uptake and economics of chilli as influenced by secondary and micronutrientsN P K Ca S Fe Gross Net Cost ofTreatments (kg ha-1) (kg ha-1) (kg ha-1) (mg hill-1) (mg hill-1) (mg hill-1) returns returns cultivation(Rs.ha-1) (Rs.ha-1) (Rs.ha-1)T1-NPK alone 53.50 14.82 63.93 973.64 312.04 25.35 27818 16875 10943.00(Control)T2- NPK+FYM 63.93 18.54 76.71 1182.14 363.08 27.96 33776 20833 12943.00T3 NPK+Fe 55.55 16.09 66.26 1014.15 363.11 29.93 32137 20894 11243.00T4 NPK+S 54.25 15.73 65.62 1075.85 332.44 25.44 30739 18296 12443.00T5 NPK+ Ca 53.75 15.59 64.50 1012.56 310.99 23.94 28930 17837 11093.00T6 NPK+S+Fe 57.93 16.82 69.52 1155.40 351.52 27.93 33754 21011 12743.00T7 NPK+Ca+Fe 56.66 16.43 68.00 1138.92 356.38 27.82 33617 22224 11393.00T8 NPK+Ca+S 57.84 16.77 69.41 1163.98 358.73 27.84 33648 21055 12593.00T9 NPK+Ca+S+Fe 56.23 16.31 67.48 1175.13 360.93 27.78 33576 20683 12892.00S.Em± 1.48 0.45 1.85 46.60 13.03 2.04 11348 932 -LSD (0.05) 4.43 1.36 5.54 139.64 39.03 NS 40.40 2792*NS- Non significantEffect of Secondary.......................556ReferencesBIDARI, B. I., 2000, Assessment of yield and quality ofByadagi chillies (Capsicum annuum L.) in relationto soil and management practices in Dharwaddistrict (Karnataka state). Ph. D. thesis, Universityof Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad.CHAVAN, P. J., JIMAIL, S., RUDRAKHA, G. B., MALEWAR,G. V. AND BAIG, M.I., 1997, Effect of variousnitrogen levels through FYM and urea on yield anduptake of nutrients and ascorbic acid content ofchilli (Capsicum annuum L.). Journal of the IndianSociety of Soil Science, 45: 833-835.MAHESHWARAPPA, H. P., 1997, Agronomic investigationon Kacholaum (Kacmpteria galanga L.) andarrowroot (Mavanta arundinacea L.) grown asintercrop in coconut garden. Ph. D thesis,University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, 65.The economic analysis of differenttreatments revealed large variation in gross returnsper hectare. The gross returns was maximum intreatment applied with NPK+FYM (Rs. 33,776ha-1) followed by application of NPK+S+Fe (Rs.33,754 ha-1). The lowest gross returns (Rs. 27,818ha-1) was realized with the application of majornutrients alone (Table 2). In the present study,the net returns was higher with application ofNPK+Ca+Fe (Rs. 22,224.0 ha-1) followed byapplication of NPK+Ca+S (Rs. 21,055.0 ha-1 and1.67), NPK+S+Fe (Rs. 21,011. ha-1), NPK+Fe(Rs.20,894.ha-1) and NPK+FYM (20,833. ha-1)and NPK+Ca+S+Fe (20,683. ha-1) as comparedto application of NPK alone (Rs. 16,875.0 ha-1).This is mainly because of higher fruit yieldobtained with application of FYM or combinationof secondary and micronutrients along with NPKand low cost was invested on secondary andmicronuirients compared to NPK + FYM(Table 2).PARTIMA SINGH AND DUBE, B. K., 2000, Influence of

calcium on yield and fruit quality of tomato. IndianJournal of Horticulture, 57 : 148-152.SANTOS, I. S., BARBEDO, C. J., PIZIGATTI, R., FERREIRA,J. M. AND NAKAGAWA, J., 1990, Studies on theCa and B relationship in capsiums. HorticulturaBrasileira, 8 : 19-23.SHARMA, R. M., YAMDAGNI, H . G. AND SHUKLA, R. K.,1996, Role of calcium in Horticulture A Review.Haryana Journal of Horticultural Sciences,25:205-212.SHASHIDHARA,G. B., 2000, Integrated nutrient managementfor chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) in Alfisols ofNorthern Tansitional Zone of Karnataka. Ph. D.thesis, University of Agricultural Sciences,Dharwad.Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences: 17 (3), 2004Department of Agronomy M.N. MALAWADIUniversity of Agricultural Sciences, G.B.SHASHIDHARADharwad-580 005 Y.B. PALLED(Received: July,2003)

1090Karnataka J. Agric. Sci., 22 (5) (1090-1092) : 2009Yield and quality of chilli (cv.Bydagi dabbi ) as influenced by secondary and micronutrientsChilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important commercialvegetable crop grown in India. In the recent years chilli growersare getting the low productivity of the chilli crop. This in turnaffected overall production of chilli in the country. To increasethe productivity, adoption of recommended package of practiceis need of the day. Macro and micronutrients play a vital role inthe physiology of plants. The application of secondary andmicronutrients has become necessary in the production of chillicrop for improving the quality of the chilli crop, among thesecondary and micronutrients Calcium (Ca), Sulphur (S) andIron (Fe) played a major role in the chilli production. Applicationof Ca, S and Fe has been studied for yield improvement of severalvegetable crops but little work has been done in this zoneparticularly on chilli. Therefore, the present investigation wascarried out to study the effect of secondary and micronutrientson yield and quality of Bydagi chilli.The investigation was carried out at Agricultural ResearchStation, Devihosur, Haveri, Karnataka during 2003-04 to 2006-07on chilli variety Bydagi dabbi. The experiment was laid out in

Randomized Block Design consists of sixteen treatments withthree replications and the gross and net plot sizes of theexperiment were 6 m X 4.8 m and 5.4 m X 4.2 m respectively. Thestandard agronomic practices were followed duringexperimentation. The recommended doses of inorganic fertilizers(NPK) @ 100:50:50 kg ha-1 was applied along with various dosesof secondary and micronutrients as per the treatment. Thesixteenth treatment consisted of only organic sources of nutrientapplication. The data on growth parameters, yield parameters,yield and quality parameters such as per cent white fruit wererecorded at the stage of harvest.The pooled results of the experiment revealed that RDF+ Ca+S+Fe @ 50+50+20 kg ha-1 recorded significantly higherchilli yield (1189 kg ha-1) compared to the rest of the treatmentsexcept RDF + Ca+S @ 50+50kg ha-1 (1119 kg ha-1) and RDF +Ca+S+Fe @ 25+25+10 kg ha-1 (1176 kg ha-1) (Table 2) .The resultsare in conformity with finding of Hussain et al. (1989) andSingh and Varma (1991). Similar trend was observed during allthe three years of experimentation. Similar results of increase inyield due to the application of secondary and micronutrientswere reported by Pillai, 1967 and Pillai and Vadivelu, 1966. Theyreported ZnSO4, CuSO4 and MnSO4 either through soil or foliarapplication was beneficial in increasing the yield of chilli to theextent of 5 to 20%. Hatwar et al. (2003) reported application ofmicronutrients Viz., Zinc, Iron and Boron in combination resultedin improvement of both growth and yield parameters and yieldof chilli crop. The significant increase in dry pod yield of chillidue to the application of secondary and micronutrients incombination is mainly due to the higher yield parameters suchas number of fruits per plant and growth parameters such asnumber of branches per plant and plant height (Table 1). Theincrease in growth and yield parameters with the application ofsecondary and micronutrients were mainly due to enhancedphotosynthetic activity resulting in production andaccumulation of carbohydrates and essential auxins. This mightbe attributed favorable affect on growth and retention of fruitswhich intern might have increased the number of fruits per plant.Table 1. Influence of secondary and micronutrients on growth parameters and yieldof byadgi chilli (Pooled from 2003-03 to 2006-07)Sl. Treatments Plant No. branches No. fruits %White YieldNo. height / plant / plant fruits (Kg/ha)1 T1- RDF+ Ca @ 25 Kg/ha 73.9 8.9 33.6 9.2 926.02 T2- RDF+ Ca @ 50 Kg/ha 75.0 9.2 35.5 10.0 968.03 T3- RDF+ S @ 25 Kg/ha 74.5 8.7 32.5 11.0 910.04 T4- RDF+ Ca @ 50 Kg/ha 78.7 9.7 35.0 10.2 964.05 T5- RDF+ Fe @ 10 Kg/ha 76.7 8.9 33.4 11.0 898.06 T6- RDF+ Fe @ 20 Kg/ha 77.9 9.6 34.1 10.7 922.07 T7- RDF+ Ca+S @ 25+25 Kg/ha 78.8 10.2 36.9 10.4 1037.08 T8- RDF+ Ca+S @ 50+50 Kg/ha 77.4 9.6 37.5 8.9 1119.09 T9- RDF+ Ca+Fe@ 25+10 Kg/ha 82.0 9.3 36.9 9.2 1013.010 T10- RDF+ Ca+Fe@ 50+20 Kg/ha 82.4 9.9 38.3 8.3 1038.011 T11- RDF+ Fe+S@ 10+25 Kg/ha 80.3 10.0 36.5 11.1 1012.012 T12- RDF+ Fe+S@ 20+50 Kg/ha 82.2 10.1 39.1 9.9 1056.013 T13- RDF+ Ca+ Fe+S@ 25+25+10 Kg/ha 83.7 10.2 39.2 7.7 1176.014 T14- RDF+ Ca+ Fe+S@ 50+50+20 Kg/ha 84.6 10.5 42.2 7.3 1189.015 T15- RDF only (100:50;50 Kg NPK/ha+FYM 73.1 8.0 29.0 12.4 853.016 T16- only organics 78.2 8.8 35.9 7.8 949.0S.Em+/- 3.6 0.6 2.6 0.7 29.9

C.D. @ 5% 8.6 1.5 6.3 1.7 70.81091Karnataka J. Agric. Sci., 22 (5) : 2009Table 2. Influence of secondary and micronutrients on yield (Kg/ha) of byadgi chilli(Pooled from 2003-03 to 2006-07)Sl.No. Treatments 2003-04 2004-05 2006-07 Pooled1 T1- RDF+ Ca @ 25 Kg/ha 1150.0 805.0 856.0 926.02 T2- RDF+ Ca @ 50 Kg/ha 1170.0 868.0 865.0 968.03 T3- RDF+ S @ 25 Kg/ha 1140.0 833.0 758.0 910.04 T4- RDF+ Ca @ 50 Kg/ha 1185.0 850.0 859.0 964.05 T5- RDF+ Fe @ 10 Kg/ha 1078.0 802.0 814.0 898.06 T6- RDF+ Fe @ 20 Kg/ha 1120.0 816.0 832.0 922.07 T7- RDF+ Ca+S @ 25+25 Kg/ha 1256.0 979.0 877.0 1037.08 T8- RDF+ Ca+S @ 50+50 Kg/ha 1305.0 1098.0 952.0 1119.09 T9- RDF+ Ca+Fe@ 25+10 Kg/ha 1212.0 954.0 872.0 1013.010 T10- RDF+ Ca+Fe@ 50+20 Kg/ha 1260.0 965.0 897.0 1038.011 T11- RDF+ Fe+S@ 10+25 Kg/ha 1220.0 934.0 883.0 1012.012 T12- RDF+ Fe+S@ 20+50 Kg/ha 1285.0 982.0 898.0 1055.013 T13- RDF+ Ca+ S+Fe@ 25+25+10 Kg/ha 1355.0 1215.0 959.0 1176.014 T14- RDF+ Ca+ S+Fe@ 50+50+20 Kg/ha 1362.0 1239.0 1025.0 1189.015 T15- RDF only (100:50:50 Kg NPK/ha+FYM 962.0 794.0 805.0 853.016 T16-only organics 1002.0 928.0 917.0 949.0S.Em+/- 24.3 66.4 55.3 29.9C.D. @ 5% 70.1 159.4 132.6 70.8Table 3. Influence of secondary and micronutrients on economics of byadgi chilli (Pooled from 2003-03 to 2006-07)Gross Net B:CSl. Treatments returns returns ratioNo. (Rs/ha) (Rs/ha)1 T1- RDF+ Ca @ 25 Kg/ha 37013 20630 2.262 T2- RDF+ Ca @ 50 Kg/ha 38707 21074 2.193 T3- RDF+ S @ 25 Kg/ha 36413 20430 2.284 T4- RDF+ Ca @ 50 Kg/ha 38586 21754 2.295 T5- RDF+ Fe @ 10 Kg/ha 35920 19267 2.206 T6- RDF+ Fe @ 20 Kg/ha 36906 19373 2.117 T7- RDF+ Ca+S @ 25+25 Kg/ha 41493 24260 2.418 T8- RDF+ Ca+S @ 50+50 Kg/ha 44760 24707 2.299 T9- RDF+ Ca+Fe @ 25+10 Kg/ha 40507 22924 2.3010 T10- RDF+ Ca+Fe @ 50+20 Kg/ha 41627 21594 2.0811 T11- RDF+ Fe+S @ 10+25 Kg/ha 40493 23480 2.3812 T12- RDF+ Fe+S @ 20+50 Kg/ha 42200 24157 2.3413 T13- RDF+Ca+S+Fe @ 25+25+10 Kg/ha 47053 28790 2.5614 T14- RDF+Ca+S+Fe @ 50+50+20 Kg/ha 48346 27804 2.4515 T15- RDF only (100:50:50 Kg NPK/ha)+FYM 34120 18987 2.1916 T16- only organics 37960 19285 2.15S.Em+/- 1328 1328 0.07C.D. @ 5% 3187 3187 0.16Similar results were also reported by Reddy et al.(1985) andBose and Tripathi (1996) in tomato.The economics of the experiment revealed that significantlyhigher gross return was recorded with RDF + Ca+S+Fe @50+50+20 kg ha-1 and RDF + Ca+S+Fe @ 25+25+10 kg ha-1( Rs48,346 and 47,053, respectively) compared to the rest of thetreatments. In these two treatments also recorded significantlyhigher net returns compared to the rest of the treatments (Rs.27,804 and Rs 28,790, respectively). Significantly higher B: Cratio was recorded with RDF + Ca+S+Fe @ 25+25+10 kg ha-1

compared to the rest of the treatments. However, it was on parwith RDF + Ca+S+Fe @ 50+50+20 kg ha-1 and RDF + Ca+S @50+50kg ha-1(Table 3).1092References

Pillai, K. M., 1967, Effect of certain micronutrients combination ongrowth and yield of chillies under field conditions. Indian J.Agron., 12 : 358 - 362.Pillai, K. M., and Vadivelu, K. K., 1966, Effect of soil and foliarapplication of micronutrients on fruit number and yield ofchillies under field conditions. South Indian Hort., 14 : 43-47.Hatwar, G. P., Gondane, S.U., Urkude, S.M. and Gahukar,O.V., 2003,Effect of micronutrients on growth and yield of chilli. J. SoilCrops, 13 :123-125.Reddy, F. S., Reddy, M. G., Veeraraghavaiah, R., Subramanyam, K.and Reddy, D. S, 1985, Response of tomato to micronutrients.South Indian Hort., 33 : 408-410.Bose and Tripathi, S. K., 1996, Effect of micronutrients on growth,yield and quality of tomato Cv. Pusa Ruby in M.P. Crop Res.,12 : 61-64.Hussain, S. A., Mohamad, S. and Rao,B. V. R., 1989, Response of chilli(Capsicum annuum L.) to micronutrients. Indian J. Agron.,34 : 117-118.Singh, S. S. and Verma, S. K., 1991, Influence of Potassium, Zinc andBoron on growth and yield of tomato (Lycopersican esculantumMill.) Veg. Sci., 18 :122-124.Yield and quality of chilli (Cv. Bydagi dabbi).....................Agricultural Research Station (Chilli), Devihosur - 581 110 M. SHIVAPRASADUniversity of Agricultural Sciences, H.D. MOHANKUMARDharwad, Karnataka, India. S.A. ASTAPUTREB.M. CHITTAPURM.H. TATAGARR.K. MESTA(Received : March, 2009)

334Karnataka J.Agric.Sci.,18 (2):(334-337) 2005Effect of Micronutrients and Organics on Growth, Seed Yieldand Quality of Chilli*N. NATESH, B.S. VYAKARANAHAL, M. SHEKHARGOUDA AND V.K. DESHPANDEDepartment of Seed Science and Technology,University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad-580 005(Received :February, 2004)Abstract: Foliar spray of micronutrients at flowering stage increased the growth and yield of chilli.(Capsicum annuum L.) cv. Byadagi kaddi. Foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.1%) recorded higher yield(248.26 kg/ha) and quality parameters followed by borax and MgSO4 (0.1% each). Among theorganics, vermicompost (2.5 t/ha) recorded higher seed yield (279.35 kg/ha) and quality parametersfollowed by mycorrhiza (2.5 t/ha) and FYM (10 t/ha) compared to control (48.0 kg/ha).* Part of M.Sc. thesis submitted by the senior authour to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad-580 005IntroductionChilli is important fruit vegetable cropgrown for fruits. It is used in culinary and otherpreparations and grown commercially in India.Application of micronutrients viz., zinc, boron,magnesium, sulphur and organics viz.,vermicompost, Mycorrhiza and FYM bringprofound changes in various metabolic processeswithin the plant system thereby influence the yieldconsiderably. In recent years, the role of thesemicronutrients are gaining more importanceparticularly in chilli to boost not only the

productivity but also to improve the seed quality.Hence, an investigation on the effect ofmicronutrients and organics on growth, seed yieldand quality of chilli seeds was initiated.Materials and MethodsAn experiment was conducted duringkharif 2002-03 at Main Agricultural ResearchStation, University of Agricultural Sciences,Dharwad. The field experiment consisted of 11treatments viz., T1- ZnSO4(25 kg/ha), T2- ZnSO4

(0.1%), T3- Borax (10 kg/ha), T4- Borax (0.1 %),T5- MgSO4 (10 kg/ha), T6- MgSO4 (0.1%), T7-Sulphur (10 kg/ha),T8 – Mycorrhiza (2.5 kg/ha),T9- Vermicompost (2.5 tonnes/ha), T10- FYM (10tonnes/ha) and T11- Control (RDF 150:75:75 kgNPK/ha) and laid out incomplete randomisedblock design with three replications. One healthyseedling of 30 days old was transplanted per hillin each plot of 4.8 x 4.5 m. The half dose ofnitrogen (75 kg/ha) and full dose of phosphorus(75 kg/ha) and potassium (75 kg/ha) were appliedat the time of transplanting and remaining nitrogen(75 kg/ha) was applied as top dress after sixweeks of transplanting. The crop was raisedunder protected irrigation condition. The plantprotection measures were taken up to control pestand diseases as and when required along withintercultural operations. In each plot five plantswere randomly selected and tagged to recordbiometric observations on growth, seed yield andits attributes and seed quality parameters. Seedgermination test was conducted as per the ISTAprocedure (Anon., 1996). Vigour index of seedlingwas calculated by multiplying germinationpercentage and seedling length in centimeter(Abdul-Baki and Anderson, 1973). The seedlinglength was measured in centimeter on 14 daysold seedlings.The statistical analysis of data wasdone and presented in table 1 and 2.Results and DiscussionFoliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.1%) recordedmore plant height (82.8 cm) and number of335Table 1. Effect of micronutrients and organics on different biometric parameters in chilli cv. Byadagi kaddiTreatmentsPlant height Number of Number of Fruit set Fruit Fruit Dry fruit Number of Seed yield Seed yield(cm) branches/ plant fruits/ plant (%) length (cm) diameter (cm) yield (kg/ha) seeds/ fruit (g/plant) (kg/ha)T1-ZnSO4 25 kg/ha 82.0 25.2 8.9 51.4 8.54 2.76 1385.4 80.9 2.85 113.08T2-ZnSO4 0.1% 82.8 25.6 17.3 88.6 9.93 2.84 1526.8 85.1 6.31 248.26T3-Borax 10 kg/ha 73.6 21.0 12.0 67.8 9.83 2.87 1201.5 81.7 3.93 164.34T4-Borax 0.1% 75.4 22.9 12.5 67.6 11.14 2.88 1144.4 83.4 4.29 170.00T5-MgSO4 10 kg /ha 74.3 20.0 13.5 74.2 9.70 2.87 1343.1 80.2 4.26 101.96T6-MgSO4 0.1% 73.8 20.3 14.1 67.4 9.91 2.94 1356.0 82.0 4.67 180.30T7-Sulphur 10 kg/ha 72.5 20.2 16.4 80.3 9.17 2.79 1215.0 81.6 5.21 202.55T8-Mycorrhiza 2.5 kg /ha 70.1 20.9 14.4 78.3 9.30 2.76 1392.8 79.4 4.62 182.08T9-Vermicompost 2.5 t/ha 69.3 22.2 17.1 88.1 11.40 3.20 1540.0 98.4 7.21 279.35T10-FYM 10 t/ha 73.7 21.3 13.9 76.8 9.03 2.90 1310.4 91.0 5.09 202.49T11-Control 68.9 19.2 6.6 39.5 7.84 2.36 918.4 56.4 1.22 48.00S.Em± 2.30 0.95 0.57 1.29 0.25 0.03 7.87 0.11 0.01 0.25CD (P=0.05) 6.76 2.82 1.62 3.62 0.75 0.10 22.10 0.32 0.03 0.75Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences: 18 (2), 2005

branches compared to without spray (control).Increase in plant height and branches per plantmay be due to the involvement of zinc inchlorophyll formation, which might have helpedto influence cell division, meristematic activity inapical tissue, expansion of cell and formation ofcell wall (Singh et al., 1989). The other treatmentsviz., Boron (0.1%) foliar spray, soil application ofMgSO4 (10 kg/ha) or sulphur 10 kg/ha) recordedsignificantly higher plant height and number ofbranches over control. This may be due tobiochemical functions of these elements like,development and differentiation of vascular tissueformation and lignification of cell wall, proteinsynthesis, organic acid metabolism and they areinvolved in photosynthesis.The organics (Mycorrhiza, vermicompostand FYM) influenced significantly the growthparameters. Maximum plant height (73.7 cm) wasrecorded in FYM (10 t/ha) followed by mycorrhiza(2.5 kg/ha) (70.1 cm) and vermicompost @ 2.5 tper ha (69.3 cm) over control (68.9 cm). Highernumber of branches per plant (22.2) was recordedin vermicompost (2.5 t/ha), followed bymycorrhiza (20.9) and FYM (21.3) over control(19.2). Increase in growth parameters in thesetreatments might be due to supplementary effectof micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Cu, B, Mg,S) besides these contained growth promotingsubstances (auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins) andreleased by these slowly along with majornutrients applied through soil. Sutagundi (2000)obtained an increase in plant height, number ofbranches and yield of chilli by application of FYMalong with fertilizers. Similar results were alsoreported by Natarajan (1990) in chilli.Among the treatments, significantdifferences in yield and its attributes were noticed.Significantly higher seed yield (248.26 and 279.35kg/ha) were recorded respectively in ZnSO4 (0.1%)foliar spray and vermicompost (2.5 t/ha). Theincrease in seed yield in these treatments maybe due to higher seed yield attributingcomponents such as fruit set (88.6 and 88.1%),number of fruits per plant (17.3 and 17.1), fruit336Effect of micronutrients. . .. . . . .. . .. . .length (9.93 and 11.40 cm) and fruit diameter(2.84 and 3.20 cm).Higher dry fruit yield (1526.8and 1540.0 kg/ha), number of seeds per fruit (85.1and 98.4) and seed yield per plant (6.31 and 7.21g) respectively in ZnSO4 (0.1%) andvermicompost. Increase in the yield componentsdue to increased photosynthetic activity and rateat which ultimately resulted in higher number offruits per plant and seed yield per ha (Singh et

al., 1989). When zinc (0.1%) along with NAA (100ppm) + urea (2%) sprayed on chilli plantsstimulated vegetative growth and also improvedthe quality of fruits (Ingle et al., 1993).Vermicompost is known to enhancemicrobial activity which might have helped andimproved availability of nutrients throughmineralisation and eventually leading to bettercanopy coverage, higher photosynthesis andtranslocation of photosynthates from source tosink (Jeevansab, 2000). The beneficial effect ofvermicompost may be due to accumulation andavailability of nutrients for longer period andreduced loss of nutrients through leaching.Vermicompost is an excellent base for theestablishment of beneficial free living andsymbiotic microbes and it increases the totalmicrobial population, nitrogen fixing bacteria andactinomycetes. The increased microbial activityimproves the availability of soil phosphorus andnitrogen (Yadav and Vijay kumari, 2003).Significant differences were noticedamong the seed quality parameters. Significantlyhigher seed recovery (14.8 and 18.3%), 1000 seedweight (4.47 and 4.26 g), germination percentage(81.91 and 81.76), vigour index (959 and 920),seedling dry weight (4.33 and 4.49 mg) and lowerelectrical conductivity (0.850 and 0.771 dSm-1)were recorded in ZnSO4 (0.1%) foliar spray andvermicompost (2.5 t/ha) soil application,respectively. The increase in seed qualityparameters may be due to the participation ofmicronutrients (Zn, Fe, Cu, S, Mg, B) in catalyticactivity and break down of complex substancesinto simpler form (glucose, amino acids and fattyacids etc.,). These inturn, reflected on enhancingthe germination, elongation of root and shoot ofTable 2. Effect of micronutrients and organics on chilli seed quality parametersSeed 1000 seed Germination Vigour Seedling ElectricalTreatments recovery weight (g) (%) index dry weight conductivity(%) (mg) seed leachate(dSm-1)T1-ZnSO4 25 kg/ha 8.4 4.49 81.29 (64.23)* 900 3.95 0.808T2-ZnSO4 0.1% 14.8 4.47 81.91 (64.82) 959 4.33 0.850T3-Borax 10 kg/ha 10.1 4.29 80.18 (63.53) 876 3.89 0.574T4-Borax 0.1% 11.7 4.26 80.59 (63.18) 913 4.10 0.908T5-MgSO4 10 kg /ha 10.4 4.41 80.12 (63.49) 863 3.54 0.805T6-MgSO4 0.1% 13.8 4.33 80.68 (63.94) 892 3.82 0.815T7-Sulphur 10 kg/ha 16.5 4.19 80.20 (63.56) 870 3.56 0.911T8-Mycorrhiza 2.5 kg /ha 12.0 4.16 81.32 (64.37) 774 3.63 0.910T9-Vermicompost 2.5 t/ha 18.3 4.26 81.76 (64.69) 920 4.49 0.771T10-FYM 10 t/ha 14.4 4.21 80.21 (63.57) 875 4.18 0.790T11-Control 5.1 4.88 74.25 (59.39) 598 3.19 1.202S.Em± 0.19 0.04 0.16 22 0.03 0.070CD (P=0.05) 0.53 0.11 0.60 61 0.09 0.210*Figures in the parentheses are sin transformed valuesVigour index= Germination (%) x (Root+Shoot length in cm)337chilli seedling (Yoganand, 2001). Finally, it canbe concluded that foliar spray of ZnSO4 (0.1%)

at flowering stage or application of vermicompost(2.5 t/ha) along with 150:75:75 kg NPK per ha(RDF) to Byadgi kaddi chilli variety gave higherfruit yield and with good quality seed.ReferencesABDUL BAKI, A.A. AND ANDERSON, J.D., 1973, Vigourdetermination in soybean by multiple criteria, CropScience, 13: 630-633.ANONYMOUS, 1996, International Rules for Seed Testing.Seed Science and Technology, 29 (Suppl.) :1-335.INGLE, V. G., THAKRE, A. U., BADHE, S. B. AND KHAN, M.A. H., 1993, Effect of foliar spray of auxins,micronutrients with urea on fruit drop and yield ofchilli cv. CA 960. Punjabrao Krishi VidyapeethResearch Journal, 17 : 142-145.JEEVANSAB, 2000, Effect of nutrient sources on growthand quality of capsicum cv. California wondergrown under different environments. M.Sc. (Agri.)thesis, University of Agricultural Sciences,Dharwad.NATARAJAN, S., 1990, Standardisation of nitrogenapplication for chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) grownunder semi-dry condition. South IndianHorticulture, 38 : 315-318.SINGH, S. B., SINGH, T., SINGH, B. N. AND SINGH, S. S.,1989, Growth and yield of chilli (Capsicumfrutescens L.) in relation to zinc levels and numberof seedlings per hill. Haryana Journal ofHorticultural Sciences, 18 : 113-118.SUTAGUNDI, R. B., 2000, Effect of mulches and nutrientmanagement on growth and yield of chilli (Capsicumannuum L.). M.Sc. (Agri.) thesis, University ofAgricultural Sciences, Dharwad.YADAV, H. AND VIJAYA KUMARI, B., 2003, Influence ofvermicompost with organic and inorganic manureson biometrics and yield parameters of chilli(Capsicum annuum (L.) var. Pivi). Crop Research,25 : 236-243.YOGANAND, D. K., 2001, Effect of mother plant nutritionand growth regulators on plant growth, seed yieldand quality of bell pepper cv. California wonder.M.Sc. (Agri.) thesis, University of AgriculturalSciences, Dharwad.Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences: 18 (2), 2005