Effects of Sulfur, Boron, Zinc and Molybdenum on Yield and Profitability of Broccoli (<i>Brassica oleracea L. Var. italica</i>)

Abstract

A field experiment on broccoli (var. Premium Crop) comprising four levels of each of sulfur (s) (0, 10, 20 and 30 Kg/ha), boron (B) (0, 1, 1.5, and 2.0 Kg/ha), zinc (Z) (0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 Kg/ha) and five levels of molybdenum (Mo) (0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 Kg/ha) was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Raikhali, Rangamati Hill district during the rabi seasons of 2004-05 and 2005-2006 on the growth, yield and profitability of the crop. The fertilizer treatments had significant effects on growth and yield parameters viz. plant spread, numbers of leaves per plant, head diameter, main head weight and weight of secondary shoot per plant. Application of S, B, Zn and Mo increased head yield of broccoli significantly up to 20, 1.5, 5 and 0.8 kg/ha, respectively. The maximum head yields of 14.71 t/ha in 2004-05 and 18.61 t/ha in 2005-06 was obtained from the nutrient combination of 30: 1.5: 5: 0.8 kg S: B: Zn: Mo/ha with a blanket dose of 180: 43: 66 kg N: P: K /ha and cowdung @ 10 ton/ha identically followed by the yields obtained from the combinations of 20: 1.5: 5: 0.8 kg S: B: Zn: Mo/ha and 20: 2: 5: 0.8 kg S: B: Zn: Mo/ha. The S₃₀B_1.5Zn Mo_0.8 kg/ha combination also caused the highest gross margin (TK. 243649) and marginal rate of return as high as 3020%. The calculated optimum and economic nutrient combinations from the polynomial regression equation were S₃₅B_2.8Zn_4.23Mo_0.9 kg/ha and S_34.7B_2.75Zn_4.20Mo_0.88 kg/ha, respectively.

Key words: Broccoli, fertilizer, yield, profitability, Rangamati, Bangladesh.

doi:10.3329/jard.v6i1.1657

J Agric Rural Dev 6(1&2), 55-61, June 2008