Effect of nano zinc and seaweed extract on growth, yield attributes and yield of mustard (Brassica juncea L.) under northern Telangana conditions

Introduction

Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is one of the most important edible oilseed crops of India and contributes substantially to the country's vegetable oil economy. The crop contains 38-45% oil and 20-25% protein, making it an important source of edible oil, animal feed and industrial raw material. However, its productivity remains below the global average due to nutrient deficiencies, imbalanced fertilizer use and declining soil fertility. Efficient nutrient management is therefore essential for sustaining mustard production and improving nutrient use efficiency. Mustard is the main oilseed crop grown in the rabi season in India (Kumar et al., 2014) [11] . Mustard is often referred to as the "Golden crop" due to its economic and nutritional value. It is a cool-season, annual crop that follows the C3 photosynthetic pathway, making it moderately efficient in water and nutrient use. It serves as a vital source of edible oil, animal feed (oil cake) and an industrial raw material for condiments, biodiesel and various processed products (Dhaliwal et al., 2022) [4] . In India, mustard is cultivated on 9.18 million hectares, producing 13.26 million tonnes with an average productivity of 1,444 kg ha -1 (Indiastat, 2024). It is considered as a promising rabi crop owing to its wide adaptability and ability to utilize residual soil moisture effectively. In Telangana, mustard is cultivated over an area of about 4000 ha, producing 0.776 mt with an average productivity of 1940 kg ha -1 . Among the essential plant nutrients, zinc (Zn) is the most important micronutrient after nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and nearly 36-48% of Indian soils are deficient in available zinc (Arunachalam et al., 2013; Arvind et al., 2019) [2,3] . Zinc plays a vital role in chlorophyll synthesis, auxin production, enzyme activation, protein synthesis, pollen development and seed formation. Deficiency of zinc adversely affects photosynthesis, growth, nutrient uptake and ultimately reduces yield and seed quality in mustard.

In recent years, nano-fertilizers have emerged as an innovative approach to improve fertilizer use efficiency while minimizing nutrient losses and environmental pollution. Due to their small particle size, large surface area and controlled nutrient release, nano-fertilizers enhance nutrient absorption, translocation and utilization by plants. Foliar application of nano zinc has been reported to improve chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient uptake and productivity in mustard (Sharma et al., 2022; Sharma et al., 2024) [17,18] . Seaweed extracts are natural biostimulants containing auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, amino acids, vitamins and micronutrients, which promote root growth, nutrient uptake, photosynthesis and stress tolerance. Several studies have demonstrated that foliar application of seaweed extract enhances vegetative growth, chlorophyll content, yield attributes and crop productivity in field crops (Layek et al., 2015; Gandhi et al., 2024; Naz et al., 2023) [12,6,13] . Furthermore, the combined application of nano-fertilizers and seaweed-based biostimulants has been shown to produce synergistic effects by improving nutrient use efficiency and overall crop performance. Although the individual benefits of nano zinc and seaweed extract have been reported, information on their combined application under the Northern Telangana Zone is limited. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the "effect of nano zinc and seaweed extract in combination with the recommended dose of fertilizers, on the growth, yield attributes and yield of mustard under the agro-climatic conditions of Northern Telangana".

Methodology

The present study was conducted at the College Farm, Agricultural College, Jagtial, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), Telangana, India, during the rabi season of 2025-26 to investigate the influence of nano zinc and seaweed extract on the growth and yield of mustard under the Northern Telangana Zone. The experimental farm is located at 18°50′58″ N latitude and 78°56′97″ E longitude, with an elevation of 243.4 m above mean sea level. The field trial was established in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising seven treatments replicated three times. The treatment details were T₁: Absolute control, T₂: 100% RDF (60:40:40:25 kg N: P₂O₅: K₂O: S ha -1 ), T₃: 100% RDF + Nano Zn, T₄: 100% RDF + Seaweed extract, T₅: 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract, T₆: 75% RDF + Seaweed extract and T₇: 75% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract. The soil of the experimental field was sandy clay loam in texture, having a pH of 7.68, electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.32 dS m-1 and organic carbon content of 0.55%. Initial soil analysis revealed low available nitrogen (116 kg ha -1 ), low available sulphur (10.4 kg ha -1 ) and available zinc (0.39 mg kg-1), whereas available phosphorus (35 kg ha -1 ) and available potassium (275 kg ha -1 ) were in the higher range. The mustard cultivar Sitara Sringar was grown at a spacing of 45 × 15 cm. The experiment was conducted with a gross plot size of 5.4 × 4.5 m and a net plot size of 3.6 × 3.9 m. The recommended fertilizer schedule of 60:40:40:25 kg N: P₂O₅: K₂O: S ha -1 was followed throughout the experiment. Nitrogen was supplied through urea (46% N), phosphorus and sulphur through single superphosphate (16% P₂O₅ and 12% S) and potassium through muriate of potash (60% K₂O). The complete quantity of phosphorus, potassium and sulphur, together with 50% of the recommended nitrogen, was incorporated into the soil at sowing, while the remaining nitrogen was top-dressed during the flowering stage (55-60 DAS). IFFCO Nano Zinc, containing 1.0% zinc, was sprayed as a foliar application at the rate of 1.0 mL L-1 of water during the pre-flowering stage. Likewise, IFFCO Sagarika, a liquid seaweed extract containing 28% (w/v) seaweed extract, was applied as a foliar spray at 2.0 mL L-1 of water at the same growth stage according to the respective treatment schedule. All recommended agronomic practices were followed uniformly in every treatment throughout the crop season. Land preparation involved ploughing followed by rotavation to obtain a fine tilth. Gap filling was carried out 7 days after sowing, whereas thinning was completed on the 22nd day after sowing. Weed control was achieved by applying pendimethalin (4 mL L-1) as a pre-emergence herbicide followed by one manual weeding at 14 DAS. Irrigation and plant protection measures were provided as and when required to ensure normal crop growth. Growth parameters including plant height, SPAD chlorophyll meter readings and dry matter accumulation were recorded at the branching and flowering stages. At harvest, observations on number of siliquae plant, number of filled seeds siliqua-1 and 1000-seed weight (test weight) were documented. Seed yield, stover yield and harvest index were estimated from the produce harvested from the net plot area. The recorded observations were statistically evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA) appropriate for the Randomized Block Design. Treatment differences were tested using the F-test and whenever significant differences were observed, the critical difference (CD) was calculated at the 5% probability level.

Results and Discussion

Effect of nano zinc and seaweed extract on growth parameters

The effect of nano zinc and seaweed extract on plant height of mustard at different growth stages is presented in Table 1. The analysis revealed that plant height differed significantly among the treatments at both the branching and flowering stages. At the branching stage, plant height ranged from 12.13 to 22.27 cm. The highest plant height (22.27 cm) was recorded with 100% RDF + Nano Zn (T₃), which was statistically on par with 100% RDF (T₂; 21.87 cm), 100% RDF + Seaweed extract (T₄; 21.07 cm) and 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T₅; 21.00 cm). This was followed by 75% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T₇; 19.07 cm) and 75% RDF + Seaweed extract (T₆; 18.43 cm), whereas the lowest plant height (12.13 cm) was observed under the Absolute Control (T₁). At the flowering stage, plant height varied significantly from 106.0 to 162.0 cm. The maximum plant height (162.0 cm) was recorded with 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T₅), followed by 100% RDF + Seaweed extract (T₄) (152.0 cm), 100% RDF + Nano Zn (T₃) (142.0 cm), 75% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T₇) (132.0 cm), 100% RDF (T₂) (130.0 cm) and 75% RDF + Seaweed extract (T₆) (129.0 cm), whereas the lowest plant height (106.0 cm) was recorded under the Absolute Control (T₁). The superior plant height observed with 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract may be attributed to the combined effect of balanced nutrient supply, improved zinc availability through nano zinc and the biostimulant action of seaweed extract, which enhanced cell division, cell elongation and photosynthetic efficiency. The present findings are consistent with those of Sharma et al., (2023) [16] , Verma et al., (2022) [20] , Ekta et al., (2024) [5] , Sharma et al., (2022) [17] , Gandhi et al., (2024) [6] , Naz et al., (2023) [13] , Yusuf et al., (2021) [21] and Hassanein et al., (2021) [7] . The effect of nano zinc and seaweed extract on SPAD chlorophyll meter readings at branching and flowering stages is presented in Table 1. At the branching stage, SPAD values ranged from 29.2 to 36.8 and the treatment differences were non-significant. However, the highest SPAD value (36.8) was recorded with 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T₅), while the lowest (29.2) was observed under the Absolute Control (T₁). At the flowering stage, SPAD values differed significantly among the treatments, ranging from 30.4 to 38.9. The highest SPAD reading (38.9) was recorded with 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T₅), which was on par with 100% RDF + Seaweed extract (T₄) (38.1) and 100% RDF + Nano Zn (T₃) (36.3), whereas the lowest value (30.4) was recorded under the Absolute Control (T₁). The higher SPAD values under the combined application of nano zinc and seaweed extract may be attributed to enhanced chlorophyll synthesis, improved nutrient uptake and increased photosynthetic efficiency. The present findings are in agreement with Nikzad et al., (2025) [14] , Sharma et al., (2023) [16] , Verma et al., (2022) [20] , Ekta et al., (2024) [5] , Gandhi et al., (2024) [6] , Naz et al., (2023) [13] and Hassanein et al., (2021) [7] . The effect of nano zinc and seaweed extract on dry matter production of mustard at different growth stages is presented in Table 1. At the branching stage, dry matter production ranged from 295 to 394 kg ha -1 and the treatment differences were non-significant. The highest dry matter production (394 kg ha -1 ) was recorded with 100% RDF + Nano Zn (T₃), while the lowest (295 kg ha -1 ) was observed under the Absolute Control (T₁). At the flowering stage, dry matter production varied significantly from 944 to 1920 kg ha -1 . The highest dry matter production (1920 kg ha -1 ) was recorded with 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T₅), followed by 100% RDF + Seaweed extract (T₄) (1833 kg ha -1 ) and 100% RDF + Nano Zn (T₃) (1722 kg ha -1 ), whereas the lowest value (944 kg ha -1 ) was recorded under the Absolute Control (T₁). The higher dry matter accumulation under 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract may be attributed to improved nutrient use efficiency, enhanced photosynthetic activity and the growth-promoting effect of seaweed extract. The present findings are in accordance with Nikzad et al., (2025) [14] , Sharma et al., (2023) [16] , Ekta et al., (2024) [5] , Verma et al., (2022) [20] , Kumar et al., (2022) [10] , Gandhi et al., (2024) [6] ,

Huda et al., (2023) [8] , Yusuf et al., (2021) [21] , Layek et al., (2015) [12] and Hassanein et al., (2021) [7] .

Effect of nano zinc and seaweed extract on yield attributes and yield 3.2.1 Yield attributing characteristics

Data pertaining to yield attributes as influenced by nano zinc and seaweed extract are presented in Table 2. Among all the treatments, the highest number of siliquae plant-1 (325) and filled seeds siliqua-1 (21.8) were recorded with T 5 (100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract), which was significantly superior to all other treatments. It was followed by T 4 (100% RDF + Seaweed extract) with 278 siliquae plant-1 and 20.0 filled seeds siliqua-1, whereas the lowest values (152 siliquae plant-1 and 9.5 filled seeds siliqua-1) were recorded under T 1 (Absolute Control). The test weight ranged from 4.71 to 5.08 g and did not differ significantly among the treatments. The improvement in yield attributes under 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract may be attributed to the combined effect of balanced nutrient supply, enhanced zinc availability and the biostimulant action of seaweed extract, which promoted flowering, siliqua formation, seed development and assimilate translocation. The present findings are in agreement with Sharma et al., (2022) [17] , Sharma et al., (2024) [18] , Senthil Kumar et al., (2025) [15] and Singh et al., (2023) [19] .

Yield

The seed yield (kg ha -1 ), stover yield (kg ha⁻¹) and harvest index (%) of mustard as influenced by nano zinc and seaweed extract are presented in Table . 2 and Fig. 1 The highest seed yield (1766 kg ha -1 ), stover yield (3323 kg ha -1 ) and harvest index (34.7%) were recorded with 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract (T 5 ). The treatment was significantly superior for seed and stover yield over the remaining treatments, while harvest index did not differ significantly among the treatments. Among the individual applications, 100% RDF + Seaweed extract (T 4 ) recorded higher seed yield (1650 kg ha -1 ) and stover yield (3195 kg ha -1 ) than 100% RDF + Nano Zn (T 3 ), whereas the Absolute Control (T 1 ) recorded the lowest seed yield (751 kg ha -1 ) and stover yield (1596 kg ha -1 ). The increased seed and stover yields under 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract may be attributed to the synergistic effect of balanced nutrient supply, improved nutrient uptake and photosynthetic efficiency through nano zinc, together with the growth-promoting action of seaweed extract, which enhanced dry matter accumulation, assimilate translocation and yield attributes. The present findings are in conformity with Sharma et al., (2024) [18] , Sharma et al., (2022) [17] , Verma et al., (2022) [20] , Sharma et al., (2023) [16] ; Senthil Kumar et al., (2025) [15] , Abd et al., (2024) [1] , Gandhi et al., (2024) [6] , Naz et al., (2023) [13] and Layek et al., (2015) [12] .

Conclusion

Considering the objectives of the study and the results obtained after one season of experimentation, it was concluded that the application of 100% RDF + Nano Zn + Seaweed extract recorded the highest growth parameters, yield attributes, seed yield and stover yield of mustard under the Northern Telangana Zone. Therefore, the integrated use of 100% RDF with Nano Zn and Seaweed extract can be recommended for improving mustard productivity under these agro-climatic conditions

Future Scope

Further investigations are required to evaluate the long-term effects of nano zinc and seaweed extract on soil health, nutrient dynamics and soil microbial activity under different agro-climatic conditions. Multi-location and multi-season field trials are needed to validate their effectiveness and optimize application rates for sustainable mustard production. In addition, studies on their economic feasibility, nutrient use efficiency and interaction with other nano-fertilizers and biostimulants would facilitate their wider adoption in oilseed cropping systems.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementsThe work was conducted as a part of the research work of M.Sc. student of the Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University.

References

1. Abd Tahar SZ, Surugau N, Eng HS, Tan WH, Sam LM. Biostimulant effects of brown seaweed extract (Sargassum polycystum) on the growth and yield of pigmented upland rice (Oryza sativa cv. Tadong). Transactions in Science and Technology. 2024;11(2):51-64.
2. Arunachalam P, Kannan P, Prabukumar G, Govindaraj M. Zinc deficiency in Indian soils with special focus to enrich zinc in peanut. African Journal of Agricultural Research. 2013;8(50):6681-6688.
3. Arvind R, Singh SK, Kumar V, Singh SP, Shukla A, Nidhi, Yadav RC. Zinc fertilization in rice-wheat cropping system under upland calcareous soil. Journal of Plant Nutrition. 2019;42(3):296-306.
4. Dhaliwal SS, Sharma V, Shukla AK, Kaur M, Verma V, Sandhu PS, Alsuhaibani AM, Gaber A, Hossain A. Biofortification of oil quality, yield and nutrient uptake in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) by foliar application of boron and nitrogen. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2022;13:1-13.
5. Ekta MD, Choudhary RC, Jakhar RS, Kumari M. Enhancing growth and yield of Indian mustard through foliar application of nano urea and nano zinc. Chemical Science Review and Letters. 2024;13(52):265-270.
6. Gandhi G, Gopalakrishnan VAK, Veeragurunathan V, Ghosh A. Unlocking the potential of tropical red and brown seaweed-based biostimulants: a comparative assessment for sustainable maize (Zea mays) production. Journal of Applied Phycology. 2024;36(3):1513-1531.
7. Hassanein YZ, Abdel-Rahman SSA, Soliman WS, Salaheldin S. Growth, yield and quality of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) plants as affected by nano zinc and bio-stimulant treatments. Horticulture, Environment and Biotechnology. 2021;62(6):879-890.
8. Huda MN, Mannan MA, Bari MN, Rafiquzzaman SM, Higuchi H. Red seaweed liquid fertilizer increases growth, chlorophyll and yield of mungbean (Vigna radiata). Agronomy Research. 2023;21(S1):291-305.
9. Indiastat. Agriculture production. 2024. Available from: http://www.indiastat.com
10. Kumar A, Singh K, Verma P, Singh O, Panwar A, Singh T, Kumar Y, Raliya R. Effect of nitrogen and zinc nanofertilizer with the organic farming practices on cereal and oil seed crops. Scientific Reports. 2022;12:6938.
11. Kumar P, Kumar A, Kumar S, Kumar P. Effect of zinc and iron application on yield and acquisition of nutrient on mustard crop (Brassica juncea L.). Journal of Plant Development Sciences. 2014;6:413-416.
12. Layek J, Das A, Ramkrushna GI, Trivedi K, Yesuraj D, Chandramohan M, Kubavat D, Agarwal PK, Ghosh A. Seaweed sap: a sustainable way to improve productivity of maize in North-East India. International Journal of Environmental Studies. 2015;72(2):305-315.
13. Naz S, Muhammad HMD, Ramzan M, Sadiq B, Ahmad R, Ali S, Alsahli AA, Altaf MA. Seaweed application enhanced the growth and yield of pea (Pisum sativum L.) by altering physiological indices. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. 2023;23(4):6183-6195.
14. Nikzad S, Sharafi S, Hamze H, Mahmoodi TM, Yazdan Seta S. Investigating the effect of foliar spraying of zinc nanoparticles and biostimulants on modulating the effect of water deficit stress in sugar beet by using Integrated Biomarker Response Version 2. Scientific Reports. 2025;15(1):37780.
15. SenthilKumar N, Poonkodi P, Venkatesan S, Arunkumar V, Sivakumar K. Effect of fertilizer and organic carbon source combined with foliar spray of nano zinc and seaweed extract on growth and yield of red bhendi. Plant Science Today. 2025;12:8593.
16. Sharma K, Meena RH, Kumar K, Singh YV, Kumar P, Meena D, Kumawat H. Impact of foliar application of nano nitrogen and nano zinc on soil properties of mustard (Brassica juncea L.) crop. International Journal of Plant and Soil Science. 2023;35(18):1321-1334.
17. Sharma K, Meena RH, Meena SC, Jain D, Ameta KD, Khardia N, Meena D. Impact of foliar application of nano nitrogen and nano zinc on yield attributes and yield of mustard (Brassica juncea L.). Frontiers in Crop Improvement. 2022;10(Special Issue III):1126-1130.
18. Sharma M, Alam MS, Patel JN. Impact of NPKS and foliar nano fertilizer application on Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) growth in Himachal Pradesh's mid hill region. Journal of Advances in Biology and Biotechnology. 2024;27(9):807-819.
19. Singh A, Pant C, Singh RP, Naik KR, Sharma JK. Evaluation of foliar application of seaweed sap on growth and yield of maize under rainfed condition. Ecology, Environment and Conservation. 2023;29(2):763-768.
20. Verma SK, Rana NS, Vivek BP, Singh B, Verma A, Maurya DK. Effect of novel sources of nutrients, their dose and mode of application on yield, quality and profitability of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. & Coss.]. Biological Forum -An International Journal. 2022;14(3):1385-1390.
21. Yusuf M, Rahim A, Adrianton. Effect of various concentrations of seaweed extract on growth and yield of mustard greens (Brassica juncea L.). Agroland: Jurnal Ilmu-ilmu Pertanian. 2021;28(1):1-9.