Effect of magnesium, zinc and boron fertilizers on yield, fruit quality and profitability of sponge gourd (luffa cylindrica)
Keywords:
Economic return, fruit yield, growth, Luffa cylindrica L., nutrient uptake and use efficiency.Abstract
An experiment was conducted at the research field of Soil and Water Management Section in Horticulture Research Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, during the summer seasons of 2020 and 2021. The study aimed to determine the influence of magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) fertilizers on the growth, yield, fruit quality, nutrient uptake and use efficiency and profitability of sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica L.). The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three replications. Nine treatment combinations were derived from three levels each of Mg (0, 4, and 8 kg ha-1), Zn (0, 3, and 4 kg ha-1), and B (0, 1.5, and 2 kg ha-1). These were- T1 ( 0-0-0 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B), T2 (4-3-1.5 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B), T3 (4-3-2 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B), T4 (4-4-1.5 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B ), T5 ( 4-4-2 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B), T6 ( 8-3-1.5 Mg-Zn-B kg ha-1), T7 ( 8-3-2 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B), T8 (8-4-1.5 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B) and T9 ( 8-4-2 kg ha-1 Mg-Zn-B). Application of Mg-Zn-B at 8-4-2 kg ha-1 (T9) led to the maximum fresh fruit yield (55.2 t ha-1), which was 29.3% higher than the control (T1). Treatment T9 showed superior growth, yield attributes, and quality characteristics, recording the highest amounts of vitamin C (13.6 mg100 g-1) and β-carotene (15.7 µg100 g-1) and maximum uptake of Mg, Zn, and B. The apparent nutrient recovery efficiency of Mg showed inconsistent results, whereas the efficiency for Zn and B was most prominent in treatment T9, followed by T8. Application of Mg-Zn-B at 8-4-2 kg ha-1 significantly boosted profitability, leading to a maximum gross margin (BDT 962163 ha-1) and the highest MRR of 920%. Results suggest that application of Mg-Zn-B at 8-4-2 kg ha-1 with a blanket dose of N-P-K-S at 100-30-80-20 kg ha-1 and 5 t ha-1 of cow dung could be adopted for sponge gourd cultivation in the Gazipur soil condition (AEZ-28).
Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 51(1): 533-551, March 2026
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