Effect of Foliar Application of Iron, Zinc and Manganese on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Two Varieties of Grain Millet

Abstract

In order to study the effect of foliar application of Fe, Zn and Mn on yield, yield components and protein content of two varieties of grain millet an experiment was conducted as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications in research field of Birjand branch, Islamic Azad University at 2010.  In this study two millet varieties including Bastan (Setaria italica) and Pishahang (Panicum miliaceum), and six levels of foliar micronutrient fertilizer including control, Fe, Zn, Mn, (Fe+Zn), (Fe+Zn+Mn) were investigated. The results indicated that, panicle length, 1000 grain weight and panicle number per m2 were higher in Pishahang than Bastan, but grain yield, number of seeds per panicle, harvest index and protein yield were higher in Bastan. Characteristics such as panicle length, biological yield and harvest index and protein percentage were affected by foliar micronutrient fertilizer but grain yield remained unchanged. Foliar application with (Fe+Zn+Mn) increased protein content compared to the control, but it did not affect protein yield. According to the results of this experiment, Bastan millet variety and foliar application of Zn is potent to produce the maximum grain yield, albeit it warrants further studies.

Keywords

• Foliar application
• Micronutrient fertilizer
• Bastan
• Pishahang
• Grain millet