A presentation on folliar application of boron for improving nutritional quality of wheat

1. Foliar application of boron for improving the yield and
nutritional quality of wheat
Ahmed Hassan
2019-ag-7548
Supervisor: Mr. Waqar Ahmed (Scientific Officer)
Held At: Biochemistry Section, PHRC, AARI

2. Introduction:
• Wheat is one of the major crops in agriculture sector and its demand is
increasing continuously in Pakistan with the expansion of population.
• Its production can be increased either by spreading cultivable area or by
increasing production per unit area.
• Production per unit area can be increased by managing macro and micro
nutrients.
• Farmers are just focusing macro-nutrients and ignoring micro-nutrients.
• Micronutrients have prominent effects on dry matter, grain yield and straw
yield in wheat
• Among micronutrients, B helps the plant to reduce sterility and can contribute
to biofortification

3. 
• Boron is a component of cell wall, helps in the stability of membrane
regulates germination of pollens and plays important part in grain setting.
• Our soils are poor in micronutrient, especially B, due to leaching and fixation
of B in alkaline calcareous nature of soils.
• Deficiency of B have adverse impacts on growth as well as metabolic
processes in plants and higher accumulation of B leads to toxic effects in
plants
• Applying micronutrients as foliar spray is an alternate and has been
documented more efficient in comparison to broadcast or soil application.
• Different researchers documented foliar sprays of Boron at different growth
stages increased wheat yield and helped in uptake of N and P.
• Therefore, field research was conducted to identify the optimum
concentration of B to achieve higher economic yield and improving nutritional
quality of wheat.

4. Methodology:
Field experiment was conducted at Biochemistry Section, PHRC, AARI
Faisalabad. Soil was sampled (from 20 cm depth) before crop sowing and
analyzed for physio-chemical properties using standard methods.
Wheat variety “Akbar-2019” with seed rate 125 kg ha-1 was used,
recommended fertilizer with a dose 120:85:60 kg ha-1 was added as N,P and
K source respectively. Crop was harvested in the month of April
Experimental Design:
Research was conducted using randomized complete block design (RCBD)
and all the treatments with 3 replications. Solution of boron was prepared
using boric acid and required concentration was prepared as per the
treatment plan given below
T1 Not receiving any treatment
T2 0.2% foliar spray of B
T3 0.3% foliar spray of B
T4 0.4% foliar spray of B
T5 0.5% foliar spray of B

5.  Crude Protein (%)
It includes 2 steps
Digestion :
Take 1g sample with 3g digestion mixture and 10ml Sulfuric
acid (commercial) in digestion flask. Placed it in digestion
heater and turn on the heater also exhaust. Observe the
digestion process until the solution may cleared allowed the
sample to cool.
Distillation:
Now run the sample on the distillation unit. It automatically
uptake the water and Alkali. Now in 500ml conicals flasks the
10ml Boric acid is added and set them under the condenser,
After distillation titrate the ammonia with standardized 0.1N
H2SO4. Now light pink color end point is produced.
Block Digestor
Distillation Unit
Biochemical Parameters

6.  Ash (%)
2g sample is weighed in crucible and take the sample to furnace at
6000C until the whitish ash is produced.
 Boron Estimation
Oven dried samples were taken and ground using plant grinding
Willey mill. 1g of sample was taken in crucibles and placed in
furnace for 3-4 hrs at 550°C. The samples were extracted by 0.36 N
H2SO4, filtered through filter paper (Whatman No. 1) and then color
was developed by Azomethine-H reagent. The absorbance of the
colored material was noted at 420 nm on spectrophotometer.
Prepared a calibration curve for standards, plotting absorbance
against the respective B concentrations & read B concentration in
the unknown samples from the calibration curve
Muffle Furnace
Spectrophotometer

7.  Crude Fat (%)
Cut the filtration sheet into equal parts then 2g sample
is taken in each slip. First we take the weight of paper
and then also with sample. Now add petroleum ether in
the condenser of Sox-tec apparatus. After 40 minutes
take the sample and weighed again to get Fat %.
 Crude Fiber (%)
1g grinded sample is taken in a flask add 200ml
sulfuric acid. After half-hour digestion, wash it water
and acetone. Now add 200ml NaOH solution again
wash it with water and acetone. Then weigh the
crucible and place it in oven at 70° C for 4 hrs. and dry
it. After that place it in furnace at 600° C. Again weight
it.
Sox-Tec
Hot-plate

8. Results:
Treatment
Crude
Protein
(%)
Crude
Fat (%)
Crude
Fiber (%)
Ash
(%)
Boron
(mgkg-1)
Yield
(t/ha)
T1 10.03d 2.04c 3.44a 1.58e 2.38d 3.35c
T2 11.29c 2.12c 3.26b 1.72d 2.59bc 3.60c
T3 12.43b 2.26b 3.18b 1.83c 2.67ab 4.34a
T4 13.24a 2.45a 3.06c 2.11a 2.75a 4.15ab
T5 12.51b 2.24b 3.24b 2.01b 2.54c 3.98b
Table 1: Biochemical responses of wheat (Triticum aestivu m L.) to different levels of foliar applied B

9. Crude Protein(%):
10.3d
11.29c
12.43b
13.24a
12.51b
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
Protein
(%)
Treatments
Crude Protein (%)
Crude Fat (%)
2.04c
2.12c 2.26b
2.45a
2.24b
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
Fat(%)
Treatments
Crude fat (%)
Crude Fiber (%)
3.44a
3.26b
3.18b
3.06c
3.24b
2.8
2.9
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
Crude
Fiber
(%)
Treatments
Crude fibre (%)
Ash Content (%)
1.58e
1.72d
1.83c
2.11a 2.01b
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
Ash(%)
Treatments
Ash (%)

10. Boron (mg kg-1)
2.38d
2.59bc
2.67b
2.75a
2.54c
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
Boron
Treatments
Boron (mg kg-1)
Yield (t/ha)
3.35c
3.6c
4.34a 4.14ab
3.98b
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
Yeild
Treatments
Yield (t/ha)

11. Conclusion:
• Nutritional quality and yield of wheat improved with the foliar application of
boron. Maximum yield (4.34 t ha-1) was achieved with 0.3 % foliar spray of
boron. Maximum crude protein (13.24%), crude fat (2.45%), ash (2.11 %)
and maximum assimilation of boron in grain (2.75 mg kg-1) were obtained
with 0.4 % foliar spray of boron.
• Application of B (0.4%) by foliar spray is beneficial for better yield and
quality production of wheat crop. Therefore, it may be suggested that foliar
application of B commands a great significance in maintaining a number of
physiological, biochemical, yield and quality parameters by maintaining
growth and increasing nitrogen and protein content, increasing the grain fat,
fiber and also boron content that deals with mineral deficiency problems.

12. Thank You
For your Attention