Boron and pigment content in alfalfa affected by nano fertilization under calcareous conditions

The objectives were to investigate the effects of different boron treatments on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): 1) boron concentration, and 2) pigment contents including chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoids. Six regions with different properties were selected for the experiment; the soil samples were collected using GPS. The experimental treatments including: 1) soil type (S1-S6), 2) boron sources including boric acid (B1) and nano boron fertilization (B2), and 3) number of spraying (zero-, one-, two-, and three-time) were tested. The nano structure of boric acid-copper in an aqueous medium was produced using the chemical reduction method. The results indicated that soil type, boron source and number of spraying significantly affected (P ≤ 0.01) alfalfa boron concentration and pigment content. The mean of alfalfa boron concentration by B1 and B2 was 103.52 and 111.52% higher than control. The three-time spraying significantly increased B concentration related to the other spraying treatments (P ≤ 0.05) as it resulted in a 207.81% increase compared with the control treatment. The three-time spraying resulted in the highest increase of pigment contents (P ≤ 0.05) including chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoids compared with the other treatments. Although the highest boron and pigment contents were resulted by the three-time spraying, the combined use of B2 and the two-time spraying was the most optimum treatment (non-toxic) significantly increasing alfalf...
Source: Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research