Response of Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Cultivars to Nitrogen Rates and Foliar Fertilization: Impacts on Seed Yield and its Component

Response of Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Cultivars to Nitrogen Rates and Foliar Fertilization: B- Impacts on Oil, Fiber Yield, and Soil Fertility

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is a dual-purpose crop cultivated for seed oil and fibre, and its productivity depends on cultivar performance and balanced nutrient management. A field experiment was conducted during two winter seasons (2022/2023 and 2023/2024) at Etay El-Baroud Agricultural Research Station, Egypt, using a split-split plot design with three replications. Two flax cultivars (Giza 11 and Giza 12) were assigned to the main plots, two nitrogen rates (75% and 100% of the recommended dose; 37.5 and 50 kg N fed⁻¹) to the sub-plots, and eight foliar fertiliser treatments to the sub-sub-plots: control, Fe, Si, S, Si×S, Si×Fe, S×Fe, and Si×S×Fe. Foliar sprays were applied at 50, 60 and 85 days after sowing. The combined analysis showed that Giza 11 recorded higher seed protein content (16.86%), whereas Giza 12 produced higher oil yield (105.85 kg fed⁻¹) and fibre yield (69.71 kg fed⁻¹). Increasing nitrogen to 100% of the recommended dose improved protein, oil and fibre yields. Among foliar treatments, Si×Fe recorded the highest mean protein yield (102.94 kg fed⁻¹), Fe produced the highest oil percentage (24.41%) and oil yield (119.61 kg fed⁻¹), and Si×S×Fe gave the highest fibre percentage (12.40%) and fibre yield (70.68 kg fed⁻¹). The results indicate that cultivar-specific nutrient management can improve flax yield, quality and post-harvest soil fertility.

Effect of Foliar Application of Gibberellic Acid at Different Concentrations on Growth, Yield and Quality of Soybean (Glycine max L) under Semi-Arid of Kabul conditions

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important legume crops cultivated worldwide for its high-quality protein and oil content. Using the Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs), particularly gibberellic acid (GA₃) for foliar application, is considered to have great potential in enhancing the yield of soybeans. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar-applied GA₃ on the growth and yield of soybean under the semi-arid condition prevailing in the Kabul University research farm during the 2025 growing season (May-September). Different concentrations of GA₃, such as 0, 50, 100, and 150 ppm, were used at the V6, pre-flowering, and pod-setting stages. The results showed that GA₃ application significantly influenced the growth performance, yield attributes and, seed quality. The plants treated with 150 ppm produced the tallest plants (64.14 cm). The maximum branch number (6.1) and leaf area (42.4 cm²) were recorded in plants treated with 100 ppm GA₃, and there was no significant difference between 100 and 150 ppm. The maximum number of pods per plant (60.35), seed yield (2967.3 kg ha), harvest index (43.4%), 100-seed weight (15.17 g), and seeds per pod (3.07) were noted in plants treated with 150 ppm. However, for all these parameters, there was no significant difference between 100 ppm and 150 ppm treatments. Protein and oil contents were highest in the 100-ppm treatment (38.03 and 19 %).

Shallot (Allium cepa L.) Growth and Yield under Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization in Former Long Bean Fields

Shallot (Allium cepa L.) is a high-value horticultural crop whose productivity depends on adequate nutrient availability and fertilizer management. Former yardlong bean land has the potential to improve fertilizer efficiency through residual nitrogen derived from biological nitrogen fixation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer rates and their interaction on the growth and yield of shallot cultivated on former yardlong bean land. Four nitrogen rates (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the recommended dose) and two phosphorus rates (50% and 100% of the recommended dose), each replicated three times, were used in the factorial Randomized Complete Block Design experiment, which was carried out in Rembige Village, Mataram City, between February and April of 2026. Analysis of variance and the Honestly Significant Difference test at the 5% significance level were used to evaluate the data. At 42 and 49 days following planting, nitrogen had a substantial impact on both the number of bulbs per clump and plant height. While the interplay between nitrogen and phosphorus had a substantial impact on leaf chlorophyll content, phosphorus had a considerable impact on bulb number, bulb diameter, and fresh bulb weight. The combination of 75–100% recommended nitrogen and 100% recommended phosphorus produced the best growth and yield, indicating that former yardlong bean land can enhance fertilizer use efficiency in shallot cultivation.

Response of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) to micronutrients and plant growth regulators with respect to growth, yield and nutrient uptake

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2024–25 at the College of Horticulture, Bagalkot, to investigate the effects of micronutrients and plant growth regulators (PGRs) on growth, yield and nutrient uptake of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The experiment was arranged in a randomised block design (RBD) with ten treatments and 3 replications. The treatments consisted of foliar application of micronutrients (zinc, (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and boron (B)) and PGRs (gibberellic acid (GA₃) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)) in various combinations along with the recommended dose of fertilisers (RDF). The results revealed that the combined application of micronutrients and PGRs significantly enhanced vegetative growth, flowering, yield attributes, fruit quality and nutrient uptake compared to RDF alone. Among the treatments, foliar application of GA₃ and NAA (60 c each) along with zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄), iron sulphate (FeSO₄), copper sulphate (CuSO₄) and boric acid (0.015 % each) recorded the highest fruit yield (74.04 t ha-1), along with improved growth parameters, yield components and quality traits such as total soluble solids (TSS) and ascorbic acid content. This treatment also resulted in higher nutrient uptake and economic returns, with a benefit–cost ratio of 3.19. The study concludes that the integrated foliar application of micronutrients (0.015 %) and PGRs (60 ppm) is an effective strategy to enhance productivity, quality and nutrient uptake of tomato under field conditions.

Interactive Effects of Variety, Phosphorus–Sulphur Fertilization, and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Growth and Yield of Mustard (Brassica Spp)

Mustard (Brassica juncea L.), a crucial crop of global nutrition and industry, has become one of the most important crops for agricultural and renewable energy. In this study, we evaluated the influence of mustard variety, levels of fertilizer and AMF inoculation on growth and yield components to maximize mustard productivity. The study was conducted at the BINA substation in Bangladesh to evaluate the impact of these factors on important yield-contributing parameters. Thus, two mustard varieties (BARI sarisha-17 and Binasarisha-9) were evaluated with three fertilizer treatments and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation under field condition. The results showed that BARI sarisha-17 exhibited better vegetative growth, while Binasarisha-9 outperformed BARI sarisha-17 in terms of seed yield indicating higher harvest index. Fifty percent of fertilizer increased plant height and seed weight while both AMF inoculation treatments improved pod length, number of seeds per pod and seed quality. Importantly, the highest seed yield of 1.71 t ha⁻¹ was obtained from the Binasarisha-9 × F50 × I1 cross combination, reflecting that application of specific agronomic practices can enhance mustard productivity. This work offers valuable guidelines for optimizing mustard cultivation through variety, nutrients and microbial treatments towards the enrich of crop output of diverse agronomic environments.

Response of Organic and Inorganic Sources of Nutrients On Growth, Flowering and Yield of Strawberry (Fragaria×Ananassa Duch) Cv. ‘Winter Dawn’