Masters credit seminar

1. Improving nutrient status of vegetables crops
through foliar fertilization
Presented by:
Babanjeet
L-2019-H-208-M
Department of vegetable Science

2. Introduction
• Foliar Fertilization : Increasing the
bioavailable concentrations of
micronutrients in edible portions of
plants with the application of mineral
fertilizer to plant leaves.
Valenca et al 2017

3. Sources of nutrients from Vegetables
Phosphorus
Vitamin B5
Nutrients Vegetables
Carbohydrate Sweet potato, potato, cassava
Protein Pea, Lima bean, French bean, cowpea
Vitamin A Carrot, Spinach, Pumpkin
Vitamin B1 Tomato, chilli, garlic, leek, pea
Vitamin C Chilli, sweet pepper, cabbage, drumstick
Iodine Tomato, sweet pepper, carrot, garlic, okra
Sodium celery, green onion, chinese cabbage, radish
Calcium Hyacinth bean, amaranthus, palak
iron Amaranthus, palak, spinach, lettuce, bittergourd
Pea, Lima bean, taro, drumstick leaves
Palak, amaranthus, bittergourd, pointed gourd
Source: Food and Nutrition Board, 2013

4. Need for
improvement of
nutrient status

5. • About 800 million people worldwide suffer from micronutrient malnutrition
called as “Hidden hunger”.
• Around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to
undernutrition.
• 47 million children under 5 years of age are wasted and 144 million are
stunted.
(WHO 2018)
• About 24% of deaths among women and children under five year age
globally attributed to vitamin A deficiency.
(Global nutrition report,2016)
• It is estimated that over 60% of the world’s people are iron, over 30% are
zinc, 30% of iodine and 15% of selenium deficient.
(Prasad et al 2015)
Malnutrition problem

6. Map of countries with overlapping forms of childhood stunting, anaemia and
overweight in adult women, 2017 and 2018
Source: Global nutrition report (2018)

7. Health outcomes of micronutrient deficiencies for different groups
Children • Impaired physical ability • Diarrhea
• Impaired mental development • Pneumonia
• Child mortality • Stunting
• Child mortality
Women • Impaired physical activity ----
• Maternal mortality
Men Impaired physical activity ----
• Measles
Target
group
Iron deficiency Zinc deficiency Vitamin A deficiency
• Child mortality
Night blindness
• Night blindness
• Corneal scarring
• Blindness
Night blindness

8. Essential elements for sustaining Human life
2 9 7 17 13
Water Histidine Linolenic acid N Fe D
carbohydrates Isoleucine Linoleic acid K Zn E
Ca Cu K
Leusine Mg Mn C
Lysine S I,F B1
Methionine P As, Li, Sn B2
Phenylalanine Cl Co B3
Thereonine Se B6
Tryptophan Mo Folic acid
Valine Ni Biotin
Cr Niacin
B12
A
Micro
elements
Vitamins
Water and
energy
protein Lipids
Macro
elements
2
Singh et al 2009

9. Source : www.iiss.nic.in
Extent of deficiency of Fe and Zn in Punjab soils

10. Temporal changes in Zn, Mn and Fe status of Punjab soils
%
samples
deficient
Zn Mn Fe
Sadana et al 2010

11. DIETARY
DIVERSITY:
eating a balanced diet
FOOD FORTIFICATION:
through addition of
micronutrients to already
consumed staple products
SUPPLEMENTATION:
taking a supplement diet by
increasing total dietary intake
BIOFORTIFICATION:
eating food that have been
engineered to have greater
amount of nutrients

12. Methods of Improving nutrient status
Agronomic
Soil
application
Foliar
application
Seed
treatment
Conventional
breeding
Genetic
modification
Genetic
modification
Improvement of
nutrient status
Transgenic
approaches
Hussain et al (2010)

13. Soil and Tissue Analysis
A successful fertilizer plan starts with:
• A soil-based fertilizer program which necessitates a reliable
pre-season soil analysis.
• Thereafter, any deficiencies can be tested during the season
by tissue analysis.
Deficiencies can then be corrected on a timely basis with soil or
foliar application of the relevant nutrient.

14. Anything which restricts Root Growth reduces nutrient uptake

15. Effective foliar fertilization depends on
• Leaf characteristics
Age
Plant species
Shape
Surface
Ontogeny
Leaf homogeneity
Canopy development
• Plant species and variety
• Environmental conditions
Light
Temperature
Humidity
• Spray solution
pH
Concentration
Electric charge
Molecular weight
Solubility
Haytova D 2013

16. Case studies

17. The Ionomic Study of Vegetable Crops
• In this experiment cultivation of various vegetable crop species and cultivars done
under the nearly identical conditions and analyzed the level of accumulation of
each element in the edible and non-edible parts.
• Results: The concentration of several essential micro elements and non-essential
elements in the edible parts varied greatly.
• Homologous elements that have been reported to share the same uptake system.
• This study provides new vision into phylogenetic influences on the ionome which
will increase our understanding of the mineral uptake and transport mechanisms in
plants and may contribute to improving human health.
Watanabe et al 2016

18. Boxplots showing the concentration of K, Ca, Fe and B in non-leaf edible parts and Ca & Fe in leaves of various crop
species
Watanabe et al 2016
Cont..

19. PC2
(17.6%)
PC1 (35.7%)
Principal component analysis (PCA) of elements in the leaves of plants
Watanabe et al 2016
Cont..

20. Effect of foliar-applied zinc in the form of mineral and complexed with amino acids
on yield and nutritional quality of onion under field conditions
• The aim of this experiment was to study the efficiency of foliar-
applied Zinc and complexed with lysine, methionine, threonine.
• Cultivar- Behbahan and Perimavera
• Zn and amino acids were applied once at the early vegetative growth
stage and 45 days later @ 0.5%
• Result: Zn-Lys complex can effectively be used as foliar application
for improving yield and nutrient status of onion in Zn-deficient
calcareous soils.
Rafie et al 2017

21. Rafie et al 2017
Bulb
Pyruvic
acid
concentration
(µ
mol/g
fresh
mass)
Bulb
TSS
(%)
Influence of foliar-applied zinc complexed with amino acids on Bulb TSS and Pyruvic acid
concentration
Cont..

22. Bulb
nitrate
concentration
(
mg/kg)
Bulb
Zn
concentration
(mg/kg)
Influence of foliar-applied zinc complexed with amino acids on Bulb nitrate and Zn concentration
Rafie et al 2017
Cont..

23. Influence of Water Soluble Fertilizers on nutrient status of Garlic
(Allium sativum L.)
• A experiment was conducted for improve growth, nutritive value of
Garlic in Southern Gujarat (India) by water soluble fertilizers.
• Variety- Gujarat Garlic-3
• Three spray of water soluble fertilizers @ 30,45 and 70 DAS along
with recommended dose of fertilizers.
• Result: Higher bulb yield of garlic and nutrient status with sustaining
soil fertility, achieved through application of 100% RDF with three
foliar sprays of 0.5% (19:19:19).
Mehta et al 2017

24. Effect of foliar application of water soluble fertilizers on quality and sulphides
content of garlic var. GG-3
36.1 26.2 0.05 0.44
35.5 26.2 0.05 0.41
33.1 25.8 0.05 0.35
35.4 26.6 0.04 0.43
36.7 26.6 0.05 0.45
37.9 27.2 0.06 0.45
36.2 26.4 0.05 0.44
34.5 26.6 0.04 0.44
35.9 26.6 0.05 0.45
34.7 24.9 0.04 0.43
T7 (control) 0.31 0.09
T5: (0:52:34) Two spray 0.34 0.17
T6: (0:52:34) Three spray 0.35 0.15
T3: (19:19:19) Three spray 0.4 0.19
T4: (0:52:34) Single spray 0.34 0.15
T1: (19:19:19) Single spray 0.31 0.15
T2: (19:19:19) Two spray 0.35 0.17
D3: 50% 0.26 0.15
B. Water Soluble fertilizers (T)
D2: 75% 0.31 0.17
Treatments
TSS (%) Protein
Diallyl
sulfide
Allicin
Diprophylthiosulphi
nate
Dimethylthiosulphin
ate
A. recommended dose of fertlizers (D)
D1: 100% 0.36 0.19
Mehta et al 2017
Cont..

25. A schematic presentation of experiment
Mehta et al 2017
Cont..

26. Effect of Potassium nitrate, Ferrous Sulphate and Magnesium sulphate on yield
and quality of chilli (Capsicum Annum L.) Cv. Dyavanur dabbi
11.9 193.2 12.3 73.0
14.3 245.9 13.9 79.6
14.2 238.7 12.7 74.8
13.0 216.2 13.1 77.7
15.8 265.1 14.2 79.7
15.1 250.5 14.5 80.9
T7: RPP + KNO3 @ 1% + FeSO4 @ 1% + MgSO4 @ 1% 16.4 269.6 14.8 81.2
13.8 228.8 13.4 78.2
DM
(g/hill)
105 DAT
T1: RPP + Control
T8: RPP + WSF (8:16: 39) N:P:K
Treatments
Oleoresin
(%)
Color
value
(Asta)
Dry fruit
yield
q/ha
T2: RPP + KNO3 @ 1%
T3: RPP + FeSO4 @ 1%
T4: RPP + MgSO4 @ 1%
T5: RPP + KNO3 @ 1% + FeSO4 @ 1%
T6: RPP + KNO3 @ 1% + MgSO4 @ 1%
Patyali M 2014
Where, RPP: Recommended package of practice
RDF : (100:50:50) N:P:K + FYM @ 10t/ha
DAT : Days after transplanting
WSF : Water soluble fertilizers

27. Effect of foliar application of different fertilizers on colour development in chilli
fruits
Patyali M 2014
Cont..

28. • An experiment was carried out to study the effect of combination of
soil and foliar application of Fe-EDTA on yield and quality of chilli
• Cultivar - Byadgi dabbi
• The recommended dose of N, P and K were applied @ 100:50:50
kg/ha as basal dose.
• The FeEDTA was applied to soil and as foliar. Soil application was
done at planting with two levels and foliar application was done 50
and 90 days after transplanting, respectively.
Effect of Fe-EDTA on growth, yield and nutritional value of red chilli
(Capsicum annuum L.)
Savitha et al 2010

29. Oleoresin (%)
Treatments
Dry matteryield
(g/plant)
Dry Fruit yield
(q/ha)
Ascorbic Acid
(mg/100g)
Colorvalue (Asta
units)
13.3
T1: Control (only RDF) 73.1 7.7 127.6 163.1 13.0
T2: FYMat 10 t/ha 74.1 7.9 131.3 170.9
14.1
T3: Waterspray 76.2 7.9 142 175.3 13.7
T4: 0.5% Fe-EDTA@ 50 DAT 85.9 9.0 152 178.8
14.4
T5: 0.5% Fe-EDTA@ 90 DAT 84.4 8.5 141.5 177.6 13.5
T6: 0.5% Fe-EDTA@ 50 and90 DAT 88.3 8.7 149.7 179.4
T11: FeSO4 @ 10 kg/ha + 0.5% Fe-EDTA@ 50 and90 DAT
T12: FeSO4 @ 20 kg/ha + 0.5% Fe-EDTA@ 50 and90 DAT 111.2
T7: FeSO4 @ 10 kg/ha + 0.5%Fe- EDTA@ 50 DAT
T8: FeSO4 @ 20 kg/ha + 0.5% Fe- EDTA@ 50 DAT
T9: FeSO4 @ 10 kg/ha+ 0.5% Fe-EDTA@ 90 DAT
T10: FeSO4 @ 20 kg/ha + 0.5% Fe-EDTA@ 90 DAT
99.6
114.3
90.5
105.9
98.8
10.4 166.7 228.7 16.8
9.9
10.5 178.9 223.4 16.4
160.2 208.4 15.4
9.5 155.8 194.6 15.0
9.7 158.5 207.7 16.0
10.3 162.2 211.6 16.3
Effect of Fe-EDTA on growth, yield and Nutritive value of red chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)
Savitha et al 2010
Cont..

30. Impact of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles on the tomato and mechanistic
evaluation of translocation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plant
• This study was to compare the impact of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles
of similar size (25 nm) in different plant sections.
• Range of concentrations is 0 to 1000 mg/kg
• Nanoparticle delivery for foliar application by Aerosol and for root
exposure amended with soil.
• Results: Lycopene content maximum for 100 mg/kg exposure of
nanoparticles, whereas 750 mg/kg of nanoparticles led to increased
chlorophyll content.
• Selection of proper concentration of nanoparticles is important for
higher benefits.
Raliya et al 2015

31. Raliya et al 2015
TEM micrograph of leaf and stem shows foliar application of TiO2 nanoparticles
accumulation and translocation.
Cont..

32. Nanoparticles concentration (mg/kg)
Effect of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles on
lycopene content in tomato fruit.
Effects of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles on
chlorophyll contents in the leaves of 28-day old
tomato plants
Chlorophyll
content
μg/g
Lycopene
content
mg/Kg
Raliya et al 2015
Cont..
Nanoparticles concentration (mg/kg)

33. Effect of Selenium on nutritive content of Carrot
• This study was done to evaluate the effect of different application
forms and sources of Se in the growth, nutrition, physical-chemical
characteristics, content and accumulation of Se in carrots.
• Foliar and soil application of two selenium sources Selenate and
Selenite.
• Selenate increased the yield and titratable acidity.
• Selenite increased the content of Se in the shoots and the content of
carotenoids in the roots.
Oliveira et al 2018

34. Contd..
SS
(°Brix)
Carotenoids
μg/g
Soil
Soil Foliar
Foliar
Oliveira et al 2018
Soluble solids and carotenoid content in carrot roots according to sources and application of Se. Vertical bar indicates
the standard error of the mean (n=5).

35. Improvement of nutrient status and isotopic labelling of Se metabolites in onions following foliar
application of Se and 77Se
• The aims of this experiment was to enrich onions by foliar application
of selenium (Se) and to intrinsically label bioactive Se-metabolites in
onion.
• Repeated foliar spraying of solutions sodium selenite or sodium
selenate @ 10 or 100 μg Se/ml
• ICP-MS analysis of onion leaves and bulbs was done.
• Se concentration was enhanced up to a factor of approximately 50 and
200 in bulbs and leaves
Kapolna et al 2012

36. Quantitative results for Se species identified
Concentration
(μg
Se/g
d.m.)
Concentration
(μg
Se/g
d.m.)
Onion bulbs Onion leaves
Kapolna et al 2012
Cont..

37. Cation exchange HPLC–ICP-MS chromatograms of 77Se-labelled onion samples overlaid with
samples spiked with a mixture of authentic Se standards
Signal
intensity
(cps)
77
Se
Signal
intensity
(cps)
77
Se
Retention time (min) Retention time (min)
Kapolna et al 2012
Cont..

38. Results
• The 77Se - labelled metabolites in onions were found predominantly
 c-glutamyl-77Se-selenomethyl-selenocysteine
77Semethylselenocysteine
77Se -selenomethionine
• ICP-MS analysis showed that bio-synthesis of a higher fraction of the
desired organic Se species
• The conversion of selenite to organic Se species by uptake and the
metabolism of selenite in the plants.
• Selenite is an effective as well as cost-effective method to improve
nutrient status and reduce toxicity of foliar spray in onion.
Kapolna et al 2012
Cont..

39. N-NH4
+
N-NO3
-
Total P2O5 K2O (H2O) (КСl)
Initial level 12.4 18.5 30.9 63 265 6.5 6.1
B1 (Control) 3.4 5.3 8.7 63 92 6.7 6.1
B2 (Mineral fertilization) 5.7 3.7 9.4 84 62 6.6 5.9
B3 (Organic fertilization) 6.4 5.7 12.1 110 62 6.9 6.2
B4 (Foliar fertilization) 6.0 4.4 10.4 72 62 6.7 5.9
Treatments
Mineral nitrogen Mobile P and K pH
Changes in chemical parameters of soil after harvest of cabbage crop
Effect of different fertilizer sources on the quality of head cabbage
Atanasova et al 2007
B1 - Control, without fertilization
B2- NH4NO3: Ca(H2PO4)2.H2O: K2SO4 (150:100:100) kg/ha
B3 - Farmyard manure – 24 t/ha N:P:K - (0.64:1.84:0.51) %
B4 - Foliar fertilizer Agroleaf from Scotts company, Ohio, USA consist of N:P:K –
20:20:20 + all important microelements

40. Effect of fertilization on cabbage yield and nutritional value
Atanasova et al 2007
Head cabbage crop yield under different treatments
Treatments
Dry
weight
(%)
Vitamin C
(mg/100
g fresh
weight)
Soluble
sugars
(mg/100
g dry
weight)
Cellulose
(% Dry
matter)
NO3
-
(mg/kg
fresh
weight)
B1 (Control) 6.2 42.6 1.0 8.4 68
B2 (Mineral fertilization) 7.1 63.9 0.1 10.5 316
B3 (Organic fertilization) 7.2 52.8 1.1 8.8 32
B4 (Foliar fertilization) 6.7 74.8 1.2 9.4 16
Cont..

41. Enhanced yield and nutritional value of seeds of Pisum sativum L.
through foliar application of Zinc
• The experiment was conducted to determine optimum conc. of Zn to
improve yield and nutritive quality of seeds of pea.
• Variety- IPFD-99-13
• Three conc. 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5% ZnSO4 prepared in distilled water and
supplied at 3 different stages of growth.
Vegetative phase prior to flowering
Bud formation
Prior to anthesis
• Result: Maximum improvement in seed yield was observed with foliar
spray of 0.5% ZnSO4 at bud initiation. Zn improved quality of the seeds in
terms of carbohydrates, proteins and seed Zn content.
Pandey et al 2013

42. Scanning electron micrographs of pollen grains of Pea
Pandey et al 2013
Cont..

43. Globulins:
mg/100g
Albumins:
mg/100g
Seed protein fractions Pandey et al 2013
Cont..

44. Total
Sugars
%
Starch
%
Pandey et al 2013
Cont..

45. Treatment
Bulb
diameter
(cm)
Neck
thickness
(cm)
Bulb
weight
(g)
Total
yield
(t/ha)
TSS (
0
B)
Dry
matter
(%)
Pyruvic
acid (µ
mol/g)
0 4.3 1.1 44.3 21.6 9.8 13.4 3.1
0.1 4.7 1.2 50.7 23.4 11.6 14.0 3.9
0.2 4.8 1.3 54.9 24.5 12.7 14.1 4.2
0.5 4.8 1.4 57.1 30.7 30.7 14.7 5.9
0 4.0 1.2 44.0 24.4 9.6 13.8 2.9
0.1 4.4 1.3 47.6 30.6 11.5 14.1 3.3
0.2 4.8 1.4 51.8 31.2 12.6 14.2 4.2
0.5 5.1 1.5 57.0 33.3 14.6 14.6 5.9
Boron (%)
Zinc (%)
Effect of boron and zinc on growth, yield and quality of onion. (Pooled of two years)
Influence of foliar application of boron and zinc on yield and bulb nutrient status
of onion (Allium cepa L.)
• The source of micro nutrient for boron and zinc were boric acid and zinc sulphate, respectively.
• 3 Sprays at monthly interval 30 days after transplanting.
Manna et al 2014

46. Increasing Nutrient content of potato tubers using foliar Zinc-fertilizer
• The foliar application of Zn was done to increase the concentration of
mineral in the potato tuber.
• The variety “Maris Piper” used to determine the effect of Zn
application.
• The full dose of 1.8g Zn/plot used with twice or thrice foliar sprays.
• The first application was made with Zinc sulphate heptahydrate and
2nd and 3rd with Zinc oxide.
• Total ten treatments were used including control.
White et al 2012

47. Tuber
Zinc
concentration
(mg/kg
DM)
Tuber Size (mm)
White et al 2012
Cont..
Tuber
Zinc
concentration
(mg/kg
DM)
Foliar Zinc application (g/plot)

48. Relationships between tuber Zn concentration and tuber N concentration
Cont..
Tuber N concentration (% FW)
Tuber
Zinc
concentration
(mg/kg
DM)
Tuber N concentration (% FW)
White et al 2012

49. • Treatments:
20 mM Si alone from silicon dioxide (SiO2 )
20 mM Si from SiO2 with 4.85 mM B from boric acid (H3BO3)
Distilled water as a control substance
• Result: Si + B foliar sprays increased;
Firmness
Soluble solids
Titratable acidity
Vitamin C content
Shelf life
Cell wall compactness
Si and B accumulation in the fruits.
The effect of silicon and boron foliar application on the quality and shelf life of
cherry tomatoes
Islam et al 2018

50. harvest 50
C 110
C harvest 50
C 110
C harvest 50
C 110
C
Control 2.6 0.75 0.91 4.2 3.3 2.05 18.2 9.0 11.7
Si 2.1 0.65 0.84 3.4 2.6 1.98 20.7 10.6 14.0
Si + B 2.0 0.14 0.75 3.2 2.5 1.46 22.8 14.0 16.6
Treatment
Respiration CO2 ml/kg/hr
Ethylene production rate
µL/kg/hr
Firmness N
harvest 50
C 110
C harvest 50
C 110
C harvest 50
C 110
C
Control 7.6 7.6 7.8 0.58 0.53 0.51 12.9 10.2 10.0
Si 7.3 7.5 7.5 0.69 0.55 0.55 15.1 13.0 11.7
Si + B 6.7 7.2 7.2 0.75 0.7 0.65 18.2 14.0 13.1
Treatment
Soluble Solids 0
Brix Titrable acidity, %Citric acid Vitamin C mg/100g FW
• The respiration and ethylene production rate and firmness at harvest time (20°C), 5°C (25th storage day) and
11°C (10th storage day) of Si alone and Si + B foliar spraying treatment of cherry tomato
• The cherry tomato soluble solids, titratable acidity and vitamin C at harvest time (20°C), 5°C (25th storage day)
and 11°C (10th storage day) of Si alone and Si + B foliar spraying treatment
Islam et al 2018
Contd..

51. Cherry tomato cell wall in the Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Cont..
T1: Control T2: Silicon T3: Silicon + Boron
Islam et al 2018

52. Chl. a+b Carotenoids
Crude
protein
Mono
sugars
Starch
Carbohy
drate
Total
soluble
solids
L-
Ascorbic
acid
Control 3.8 1.6 11.2 3.6 65.3 76.8 4.5 14.5
FF 4.5 1.8 12.8 3.9 67.7 78.4 4.8 14.9
By 4.1 1.7 11.5 3.6 65.5 77.8 4.6 14.7
Fet 4.1 1.6 10.4 3.5 64.6 75.7 4.5 14.4
Control 4.0 1.7 10.9 3.5 66.0 76.7 4.3 14.3
FF 4.9 1.9 14.0 3.9 70.2 80.9 4.9 15.7
By 4.5 1.8 12.4 3.7 67.0 78.8 4.7 14.8
Fet 4.2 1.7 10.9 3.6 66.1 77.2 4.6 14.6
Control 4.2 1.8 11.4 3.6 67.0 77.1 4.5 14.9
FF 5.3 2.1 14.9 4.2 72.0 84.1 5.0 16.2
By 4.7 1.9 13.0 3.8 69.7 81.7 4.8 15.4
Fet 4.4 1.8 11.8 3.7 67.9 78.0 4.6 14.9
H
Treatment Photosynthetic pigments Chemical composition
NPK levels ×foliar
compounds
L
M
• Effect of NPK levels and some foliar compounds on yield and chemical composition (%) of potato tubers at
harvest time.
NPK levels: L= Low (90:60:75), M= Medium (102:68:85) , H= High (120:80:100). Foliar compounds: FF =Folifertile, By=Byfolane,
Fet= Fertrilon combi.
Combined effect of NPK levels and foliar nutritional compound on potato plants
(Solanum tuberosum L.)
Eleiwa et al 2012

53. Supplementation of Mineral Nutrients through Foliar Spray
Element
N :
P :
K :
Fe :
B :
Mo :
Mo :
B
Mn
Crops Recommendations
Cowpea 2% DAP + NAA 40 ppm at 50% flowering and 15 days after.
Potato At stalk elongation phase.
Potato At stalk elongation phase.
All Vegetables Two sprays of 0.05% Fe-EDTA in 15 days interval when deficiency occurs
Cabbage and
Cauliflower
: 0.3% boric acid at 15 days after planting and 15 days prior to heading.
Peas 0.1% sodium molybdate when plants are of about 10 cm height.
Potato 0.2% Borax at 4, 6 and 9 weeks after planting.
Onion : 2-3 sprays of 0.3% MnSO4 at 40-50 days after planting in 15 days
interval.
Cauliflower 0.5% sodium molybdate at 15 days after planting.
Under deficient conditions following are the recommendations
Rajasekar et al 2017

54. Tolerance of plant foliage to mineral nutrient sprays
Rajasekar et al 2017

55. Effect of foliar fertilization on different vegetables
Source Crop Foliar Spray
concentration
Results
Jarosz (2014) Tomato Nutrient solution
enriched with silicon
Higher total fruit yield (15.98 kg/plant) and
leaves contained more silicon as well as less
manganese and zinc compared to control in
tomato
Weerahewa and David
(2015)
Tomato Silicon @ 50 and 100
mg/L
Higher fruit size, fruit firmness, titrable acidity
and disease resistance
Maksimovic et al
(2016)
Cucumber silicic acid @ 1.5
mM
Decreased the Mn toxicity, also improved
growth and biomass production
Gad and Kandil
(2009)
Sugar beet Cobalt @ 7.5 ppm Maximized the growth, root yield, mineral
composition, sugar yield, and percentage of
protein, carbohydrate, vitamin C, sucrose and
glucose content

56. Cont..
Source Crop Foliar Spray
concentration
Results
Alkarim et al (2017) Cucumber Diatomite @ (50, 100,
200 mg/l)
Highest fruit firmness, TSS, Ascorbic acid and fruit
yield
Jimenez (2018) Pepper Vanadium @ 5 μM Increased plant growth, induced floral bud
development, flowering, chlorophyll concentration,
amino acids; and also increased the concentrations of
N, P, K Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, B, in stem
Sable et al (2018) Okra Sodium azide @ 0.04% Increases the number of leaves, plant height, fresh
weight, and dry weight and also showed adverse
effect on germination
Pandey and Gopal (2010) Eggplant Ni > 50 μM Decreased the biomass, concentration of
photosynthetic pigments in leaves, concentration of
Fe in leaves and stem, activities of catalase and
peroxidase, chlorophyll content and also interfere
with iron metabolism of plants

57. Conclusion
• Foliar fertilization provides a means of efficiently applying required mineral nutrients to a crop when
tissue tests show a need.
• Foliar fertilization increases significantly higher values of growth, yield and biochemical attributes.
• Foliar application of correct nutrients in relatively low concentrations at critical stages in crop
development contributes significantly to nutrient status and quality.
• Micronutrients play an indispensable role in growth and development of nutrient status of vegetables
crops.
• The combination of soil fertilization and foliar fertilization can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and
achieve better production of quality vegetables.

58. Future thrusts
This approach is quite new in India and is in limited use due to complicacy.
Application of micronutrients to sustain soil health and crop productivity besides
maintaining the quality of vegetables is of profound importance.
There is need of research on use of various combinations of herbicides and
pesticide with water soluble fertilizers. Ultimately leads to minimize cost of
cultivation and labour charges.
Systematic studies of the interaction between foliar nutrients and soil nutrients are
needed to promote widespread use of foliar fertilizers and reduce the impact of
chemical fertilizer on the environment.