Response to Foliar Application of Micronutrients on the Growth, Yield, and Quality of Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) in Calcareous Soil Bangladesh

In this study, we evaluated the effects of micronutrients at different doses of zinc and boron on chili plants to identify the optimum combination for enhancing growth, yield, and quality. We exposed the plants to four levels of zinc and Boron: Control (M0), 2kg of boron per hectare (M1) as H3BO3, 4kg of zinc per hectare (M2) as ZnSO4.H2O, and a combined application of 2 kg of boron plus 4 kg of zinc per hectare (M3), all in a Randomized Completely Block Design with three replications. The application of zinc (Zn) and boron (B) combinedly in M3 treatments significantly influenced the early growth of the plants, leading to more branches and leaves, increased fresh weight, and large numbers of flowers and fruits. The yield per plant as well as total yield increased in M3-treated plants compared to other treatments. The yield increased by 19% in M1, 28% in M2, and 41% in M3 (1st year), 17% in M1, 32% in M2, and 43% in M3 (2nd year) compared to the control. The quality parameters of green chili, including vitamin C, carbohydrates, Ca, Zn, β-carotene, and protein, showed significant differences in M3-treated plants compared to other treatments in both seasons. In the first year, Vit-C increased by 5%, 10%, and 17%; in the second year, it increased by 6%, 13%, and 22%. The findings suggest that combining zinc and boron as M3 treatments is more effective in maximizing chili growth, yield, and quality.