Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 12 No. sp1 (2025): Recent Advances in Agriculture by Young Minds - II

Effects of nano micronutrient foliar application on physiology and yield traits of kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.9925
Submitted
9 June 2025
Published
17-10-2025

Abstract

Despite the recognized importance of micronutrients in citrus production, limited research has been conducted on the synergistic effects of nano boron (nB) and nano zinc (nZn) in improving growth, yield and fruit quality of kinnow mandarin under Punjab’s agro-climatic conditions. A field experiment was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, to evaluate the effects of foliar application of nB and nZn on the vegetative growth, productivity and qualitative traits of kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco). The study followed a randomized block design (RBD) comprising nine treatments replicated thrice, using 27 uniform, twelve-year-old trees grafted onto rough lemon (Citrus × jambhiri Lush.) rootstock. Foliar sprays were applied twice at varying concentrations. Among all treatments, T9 [nB (60 mg/L) + nZn (200 mg/L)] significantly outperformed others in all evaluated parameters, showing the highest increment in tree height (5.94 %), canopy spread (6.06 % East-West; 6.23 % North-South), initial fruit set (53.17 %), final fruit retention (24.30 %) and ultimately yield (81.07 kg/plant). Fruit morphology and quality attributes were also significantly improved, including fruit size [length (5.92 cm) × diameter (6.75 cm)], number of fruits (512.67), fruit weight (158.20 g), rind weight (27.85 g), weight of pulp (130.35 g) and pulp percentage (82.40 %). Additionally, notable enhancements were observed in shelf life (8.68 days), total soluble solids (11.50 °Brix), total sugars (8.97 %), reducing sugars (3.92 %) and non-reducing sugars (5.05 %). Treatments T6 and T8 also showed significant improvements, though they were less effective than T9. Overall, the combined foliar application of nB and nZn proved highly effective in enhancing vegetative, reproductive and postharvest quality
attributes of kinnow mandarin.

References

  1. 1. Abobatta WF. Citrus varieties in Egypt: An impression. Int Res J Appl Sci. 2019;1:63-66.
  2. 2. Lado J, Gambetta G, Zacarias L. Key determinants of citrus fruit quality: Metabolites and main changes during maturation. Sci Hortic. 2018;233:238-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2018.01.055
  3. 3. Nasir M, Khan AS, Basra SM, Malik AU. Improvement in growth, productivity and quality of ‘kinnow’ mandarin fruit after exogenous application of Moringa oleifera leaf extract. S Afr J Bot. 2020;129:263-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2019.07.042
  4. 4. Memon NA. Market potential for Pakistani Citrus fruit (kinnow) in world. Exclusive on kinnow. 2014.
  5. 5. Lado J, Cuellar F, Rodrigo MJ, Zacarias L. Nutritional composition of mandarins. In: Yahia EM, editor. Nutritional Composition of Fruit Cultivars. Academic Press; 2016. p. 419-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-408117-8.00018-0
  6. 6. Kamiloglu S, Tomas M, Oswal T, Capanoglu E. Effect of food matrix on the content and bioavailability of flavonoids. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2021;117:15-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.10.030
  7. 7. Dalal RPS, Rana GS, Chauhan R. Effect of potash application on yield and quality of kinnow mandarin in sandy loam soils of south western zone in Haryana, India. Int J Plant Soil Sci. 2023;35(21):189-95. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijpss/2023/v35i213962
  8. 8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products Citrus area and production. Rome: FAO; 2023.
  9. 9. National Horticulture Board. Area and production of horticulture crops: All India 2018 19 (3rd advance estimates). Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India; 2019.
  10. 10. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority. India production state wise 2023 24. Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India; 2024.
  11. 11. Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Study of gaps in infrastructure & processing facilities in identified clusters: Kinnow/Mandarin. Government of India; 2021.
  12. 12. Iglesias DJ, Cercos M, Colmenero Flores JM, Naranjo MA, Rios G, Carrera E, et al. Physiology of citrus fruiting. Braz J Plant Physiol. 2007;19:333-62. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1677-04202007000400006
  13. 13. Sharma TA, Khan MK, Misra PR, Shukla PK. Micropropagation of kinnow through nodal explants. The Bioscan. 2012;7(2):295-97.
  14. 14. Papadakis IE, Dimassi KN, Therios IN. Response of two citrus genotypes to six boron concentrations: Concentration and distribution of nutrients, total absorption and nutrient use efficiency. Aust J Agric Res. 2003;54(6):571-80. https://doi.org/10.1071/AR02163
  15. 15. Abd Allah AS. Effect of spraying some macro and micro nutrients on fruit set, yield and fruit quality of Washington Navel orange trees. J Appl Sci Res. 2006;2(11):1059-63.
  16. 16. Srivastava AK, Singh S. Citrus nutrition research in India: Current status and future strategies. Indian J Agric Sci. 2008;78(1):3-11.
  17. 17. Singh A, Bakshi M, Brar AS, Singh SK. Effect of micro nutrients in kinnow mandarin production: A review. Int J Chem Stud. 2019;7(3):5161-64.
  18. 18. Wang X, Yang X, Chen S, Li Q, Wang W, Hou C, et al. Zinc oxide nanoparticles affect biomass accumulation and photosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Front Plant Sci. 2016;6:1243. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.01243
  19. 19. Pedruzzi DP, Araujo LO, Falco WF, Machado G, Casagrande GA, Colbeck I, et al. ZnO nanoparticles impact on the photosynthetic activity of Vicia faba: Effect of particle size and concentration. NanoImpact. 2020;19:100246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.impact.2020.100246
  20. 20. Iqbal S, Waheed Z, Naseem A. Nanotechnology and abiotic stresses. In: Javad S, editor. Nano-agronomy. 2020. p. 37-52. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41275-3_3
  21. 21. Salam A, Afridi MS, Javed MA, Saleem A, Hafeez A, Khan AR, et al. Nano priming against abiotic stress: A way forward towards sustainable agriculture. Sustainability. 2022;14(22):14880. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214880
  22. 22. Boaretto AE, Boaretto RM, Muraoka T, Nascimento Filho VF, Tiritan CS, Mourao Filho FD. Foliar micronutrient application effects on citrus fruit yield, soil and leaf Zn concentrations and ⁶⁵Zn mobilization within the plant. Int Symp Foliar Nutr Peren. 2001;203-209. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.594.22
  23. 23. Supriya Langthasa SL, Bhattacharyya RK. NPK contents of Assam lemon leaf as affected by foliar zinc sprays. Ann Agric Res. 1995;16(4):493-94.
  24. 24. Punjab Agricultural University. Package of Practices for Cultivation of Fruits. Ludhiana: PAU; 2024.
  25. 25. Ullah S, Khan AS, Malik AU, Afzal I, Shahid M, Razzaq K. Foliar application of boron influences the leaf mineral status, vegetative and reproductive growth, yield and fruit quality of ‘kinnow’ mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco.). J Plant Nutr. 2012;35(13):2067-79. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2012.717661
  26. 26. Gurjar MK, Kaushik RA, Baraily P. Effect of zinc and boron on the growth and yield of kinnow mandarin. Int J Sci Res. 2015;4(4).
  27. 27. Davinder AM, Kumar A, Singh R, Pratap S, Singh B. Impact of zinc and boron on growth, yield and quality of kinnow (Citrus deliciosa × Citrus nobilis) in sub-tropical conditions of Punjab. J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2017;11(2):1135-39. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.11.2.59
  28. 28. Singh R. Studies on the effect of Azotobacter and nano micronutrients application on growth, yield and quality of kinnow mandarin [dissertation on the Internet]. Phagwara: Lovely Professional University; 2023 [cited 2025 May 31].
  29. 29. Abd El AE, Khalifa SM, Alqahtani MD, Abd-Alrazik AM, Abdel-Aziz H, Mancy A, et al. Nano-enhanced growth and resilience strategies for pomegranate cv. wonderful: Unveiling the impact of zinc and boron nanoparticles on fruit quality and abiotic stress management. J Agric Food Res. 2024;15:100908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100908
  30. 30. Ruchal OK, Pandeya SR, Regmia R, Regmib R, Magrati BB. Effect of foliar application of micronutrient (zinc and boron) in flowering and fruit setting of mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) in Dailekh, Nepal. Malays J Sustain Agric. 2020;4(2):94-98. http://doi.org/10.26480/mjsa.02.2020.94.98
  31. 31. Luxmi, Rana G, Sakshi. The effect of foliar application of zinc, potassium and boron on fruit set and retention in kinnow mandarin. AJSSPN. 2024;10(4):627-38. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajsspn/2024/v10i4434
  32. 32. Al-Obeed RS, Ahmed MA, Kassem HA, Al-Saif AM. Improvement of “kinnow” mandarin fruit productivity and quality by urea, boron and zinc foliar spray. J Plant Nutr. 2018;41(5):609-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2017.1406111
  33. 33. Kumari P, Jamwal M, Sharma N, Lal M. Effect of zinc, iron and boron on fruit characteristics of kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) under rainfed conditions. Plant Archives. 2024;24(1):345–52. https://doi.org/10.51470/PLANTARCHIVES.2024.v24.no.1.049
  34. 34. Naresh Babu NB, Singh AR. Effect of foliar application of boron, zinc and copper on chemical characteristics of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruits. Bioved. 2001;12(1/2):45-48.
  35. 35. Dutta P. Effect of foliar boron application on panicle growth, fruit retention and physico-chemical characters of mango cv. Himsagar. Indian J Hortic. 2004;61(3):265-66.
  36. 36. Sharma A, Bodh S, Verma P. Effect of pre-harvest sprays of Zn, Ca, and Fe on postharvest aspects of strawberry: A review. Int J Adv Biochem Res. 2025;9(5):733–40. https://doi.org/10.33545/26174693.2025.v9.i5i.4417
  37. 37. Alvarez-Herrera JG, Jaime-Guerrero M, Fischer G. Effect of boron on fruit quality: A review. Preprints. 2025. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202506.2544.v1
  38. 38. Al-Saif AM, Elnaggar IA, Abd El-wahed AE, Taha IM, Abdel-Aziz HF, Farouk MH, et al. Improvement of fruit quality and phytochemical components of pomegranate by spraying with B₂O₃ and ZnO nanoparticles. Agronomy. 2023;13(9):2305. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092305
  39. 39. Abdel-Sattar M, Makhasha E, Al-Obeed RS. Conventional and nano-zinc foliar spray strategies to improve the physico-chemical properties and nutritional and antioxidant compounds of Timor mango fruits under abiotic stress. Horticulturae. 2024;10(10):1096. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10101096
  40. 40. Sajid M, Jan I, Shah ST, Iqbal A, Zamin M, Shakur M. Pre-harvest treatment of Zn & B affects the fruit quality and storability of sweet orange. J Agric Sci Technol B. 2012;2(12B):1224. https://tinyurl.com/5n7k7y5j
  41. 41. Subedi A, AK S, Tripathi KM, Shrestha B. Effect of foliar spray of boron and zinc on fruit quality of papaya (Carica papaya L.) cv. Red Lady in Chitwan, Nepal. Int J Hortic. 2019;9(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.5376/ijh.2019.09.000x
  42. 42. El-Baz EE. Effect of foliar sprays of zinc and boron on leaf mineral composition, yield and fruit storability of Balady mandarin trees. J Plant Prod. 2003;28(9):6911-26. https://doi.org/10.21608/jpp.2003.252930
  43. 43. Rakhonde OS, Zope AV. Effect of soil and foliar application of zinc on yield and quality of Nagpur mandarin. Int J Res Agric Sci. 2020;7(1):2348. https://tinyurl.com/4cnrcmey

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.