Niaz Ahmed

Boron and Zinc Requirement of Cotton in an Arid Environment: Establishing Soil and Plant Tissue Boron and Zinc Requirement for Cotton in Calcareous Soils of Pakistan Niaz Ahmed

Boron (B) and zinc (Zn) deficiencies are widespread in alkaline, calcareous and low organic-matter soils of Pakistan. In the present study, the Cotton crop responded positively to application of B and Zn fertilizers. Plant growth, productivity and nutritional value of cottonseeds were improved, very cost-effectively, by optimizing B nutrition. Fertilizer B requirement was 1.0 kg B ha-1 and HCl extractable soil B critical range appears to be 0.5?0.6 mg kg-1 soil. . Similarly, use of Zn fertilizer in cotton promoted seed cotton yield, boll bearing, boll weight, and seed index. Zn application at rate of 7.5 kg ha?1 was most cost-effective. Certain plant physiological parameters, such as membrane integrity and chlorophyll content, were improved with better Zn nutrition of plants. Moreover, both B and Zn fertilizers showed residual effects in cotton ? wheat system.