Dissecting the response of magnesium and boron on growth and yield of different tomato varieties

A field experiment was carried out to study the role of Magnesium (Mg), Boron (B) and their combinations on three tomato varieties (Roma, Rio Grande and Yaqui) grown at Horticulture Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture Peshawar during 2017-18. The experiment was conducted using the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) having a split plot pattern. Results indicated that Varieties, Magnesium, Boron and their interaction significantly influenced various growth and biochemical attributes of tomato. Concerning varieties, maximum plant height (77.95cm), number of branches plant-1 (10.35), number of flowers cluster-1 (8.61), number of flower clusters plant-1 (16.82) and yield (22.10 t ha-1) was recorded for Rio Grande plants as compared to Roma and Yaqui. Regarding various magnesium and boron applications, highest plant height (87.79cm), number of branches plant-1 (10), number of flowers cluster-1 (8.99) and yield (21.43 t ha-1) were noted with 5kg ha-1mg + 2kg ha-1 B combined application. Furthermore, magnesium and boron applied at the rate of 5kg ha-1mg + 1kg ha-1 B produced highest number of flower clusters plant-1 (17.09) in tomato plants. The interaction between VxT showed a significant increase in growth and yield attributes. The year wise comparison also resulted in significantly maximum growth and biochemical parameters during 2018 as compared to 2017. It is concluded that combined application of 5kg ha-1mg + 2kg ha-1 B resulted in maximum growth and yield of tomato under agro climatic conditions of Peshawar. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES