Effect of foliar application of nutrients on Swiss chard for its growth and yield

Introduction

Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla), a leafy vegetable of the family Chenopodiaceae, is widely cultivated across the world due to its year round availability and low cost (Dlamini et al. 2020; Ustundag et al. 2016) [1,2] . It is a perennial leafy vegetable crop, though it is commonly cultivated as an annual in Mediterranean climates (Ivanović et al. 2019) [3] . It is considered an important crop owing to its year round availability, high productivity and low cultivation cost, along with its richness in minerals, vitamins and phenolic compounds. Both the leaves and stems serve as edible parts of the plant and are widely consumed, either fresh in salads or as cooked vegetables in various traditional dishes (Trifunovic et al. 2015) [4] . It is considered a desirable food crop because of its remarkable adaptability. Moreover, it exhibits tolerance to low light intensity as well as both cold and hot weather conditions (Kolota et al. 2010) [5] . It also thrive in environments with elevated salinity and in soils with limited water availability (Kolota et al. 2010; Ninfali and Angelino 2013) [5, 6] . The growth and yield of any crop are closely linked to its nutritional status. While most nutrients are absorbed by plants through their roots from the soil, they can also be effectively taken up through the leaves when supplied as foliar sprays in the right composition (Dhakne V. R. et al. 2023) [7] . Foliar feeding is a technique of supplying plants with nutrients by applying liquid fertilizers directly to their leaves. Nutrient absorption occurs primarily through the stomata and also through the epidermis. This method is particularly effective for supplying secondary nutrients (calcium, magnesium and sulfur) and micronutrients (zinc, manganese, iron, copper, boron and molybdenum) (Patil et al. 2018) [8] . Foliar fertilization enables the efficient use of chemical fertilizers and is considered one of the most eco-friendly and target-oriented methods for delivering nutrients in precise amounts (Shahid et al. 2017) [9] . Despite the recognized importance of foliar nutrition in horticultural crops, limited information is available regarding its effect on Swiss chard under Indian [7] Regional Wheat Rust Research Station, Mahabaleshwar-412 806, Dist. Satara, Maharashtra, India agro-climatic conditions. Most of the existing studies have focused on micronutrient application, whereas the combined effect of macro and micronutrients through foliar feeding on Swiss chard remains largely unexplored (Senanayake et al. 2023) [10] . This highlights the need for systematic investigation to optimize foliar nutrient application strategies for enhancing growth and yield of Swiss chard.

Materials and Methods

The research was conducted between the 25th of March and the 24th of May 2025 (Summer) at Regional Wheat Rust Research Station, Mahabaleshwar (17° 93′ North latitude and 73° 61′ East longitudes) which comes under high rainfall area and farm is situated an elevation of 1270 m above mean sea level. The soil of the experimental soil was red in colour which are susceptible to leaching and degree of erosion due to heavy rainfall in the region and having pH of 6.8, EC of 0.27 dS/m with low Nitrogen and Potassium content contrastingly, high amount of phosphorous and micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn). To avoid experimental error, this study used 7 treatments with 3 replications for each treatment in the experiment as presented in Table 1. The experimental field was ploughed thoroughly with the help of tractor followed tractor-drawn cultivator was carried out prior to transplanting followed by leveling of the land to get the soil to a good tilth. After leveling, the field was divided into small plots according to treatments and replications with randomized block design following standard package of practices and swiss chard was transplanted on 9 th April at 4 leaf stage with row to row sand plant to plant spacing of 30cm×30 cm. Growth parameters of the crop were recorded at intervals of 15 days and yield attributes were recorded at the time of harvest. Foliar application of different nutrients as mentioned in treatments detail has been applied on swiss chard at 20 DAT and at 40 DAT (Days after Transplanting). Statistical analysis was carried out for all parameters given by Panse and Sukamte 1985 [11] .

Result and Discussion

The data pertaining to plant height at 15, 30 and 45 days after transplanting as effected by foliar application of nutrients is presented in the Table 2 and illustrated in Fig. (a). Plant height did not differ significantly among the treatments at 15 DAT, with values ranging from 12.15 to 14.56 cm. However, significant differences were observed at 30 and 45 DAT. At both stages, T₆ (19: 19: 19) recorded the highest plant height (32.23 and 38.97 cm, respectively) and was statistically at par with T₂ (Phule Micrograde II) and T₃ (Calcium nitrate). The lowest plant height was recorded in T₁ [Control (Water spray)] (26.50 and 30.13 cm). The increase in the plant height due to foliar application of the nutrients is mainly attributed to the elevated nutrient status in plant. Being a leafy vegetable the effect is seen more prominently. The readily available nutrients via leafy plant parts had significant effect on this character. But the role of nitrogen, calcium and mixture of micronutrients observed to be more in increasing vegetative growth of swiss chard. The above mentioned findings are substantiated by a team of researchers where different nutrient sprays show significantly higher maximum plant height for crops such as application of chicken manure show significant difference among treatments by Dlamini et al. (2020) [1] in swiss chard; Thajeel et al. (2026) [12] reported that foliar spray with a nanofertilizer at a dose of 4 ml/L significantly affected in swiss chard.

The effect of different treatments on Stem diameter at different growth stages is given in Table 2.The data pertaining to stem diameter at 15 DAT revealed non-significant differences among the various treatments. As the observation was recorded before initiation of treatments it had no significant variation. whereas significant differences were observed among the treatments with respect to stem diameter at both 30 and 45 DAT with treatment T₆ (19:19:19) recorded the maximum stem diameter of (12.37 mm and 15.63 mm), which was statistically at par with T₂ (Phule Micrograde II), T₃ (Calcium nitrate) and T₇ (12:61:00), registered (11.60 and 14.63 mm), (11.70 and 14.67 mm), (11.27 mm and 14.77 mm) respectively. The minimum stem diameter was observed in T₁ [Control (Water spray)] at both 30 and 45 DAT. The rise in stem diameter through foliar nutrient application can be attributed to improved nutrient availability, which resulted in better cell division and stem development. T₆ treatment (19:19:19) was observed to have the maximum stem diameter because all essential nutrients were available in balanced amounts. Abbas et al. (2012) [13] in dill also found combination of foliar fertilizer with plant growth regulators show significant variation in stem diameter compared to control.

The effect of different treatments on petiole width at 15, 30 and 45 DAT is presented in Table 2. Petiole width showed nonsignificant differences among the treatments at 15 DAT. However, it is evident from the results that the treatments differed significantly when the crop attained 30 to 45 days after transplanting. Where T₆ (19:19:19) recorded the highest petiole width (0.72 and 1.17 cm, respectively) and was statistically at par with T₃ (Calcium nitrate) and T₇ (12:61:00). The lowest values were recorded in T₁ [Control (Water spray)]. Increased thickness of the petioles could be attributed to improved transportation and storage of assimilates by the plant. Treatment T₆ (19: 19: 19) showed maximum petiole width, suggesting better growth of leaf-supporting structures through balanced application of nutrients.

Number of leaves

Observations recorded for number of leaves per plant revealed significant differences among the treatments. The detailed observation has been presented in the [14] explained that the highest leaves per plant were resulted from fertilization plants with mineral NPK fertilizers ratio of 2:1:1 at 125 kg/fed in spinach; Hajnal-Jafari et al.

(2020) [15] in swiss chard reported that the highest number was achieved after the treatment with a 10% suspension applied foliarly in comparison to the control.

The effect of various treatments on Leaf area at harvest is given in Table 3 [16] showed that micronutrient concentration with 1 ppm considerably increased leaf area per plant in spinach with comparison to control; Miliauskiene et al. (2022) showed statistically significant highest leaf area was determined when plants were sprayed with solution containing 35-45 nm ZnO NPs in swiss chard.

The observations on leaf length at 15, 30 and 45 DAT as effected by different treatments are presented in Table 4. When the crop attained 15 DAT, the treatments did not exhibit significant differences with respect to leaf length. However, The findings revealed that there was significant differences observed among the treatments with respect to leaf length at 30 and 45 DAT. [17] mentioned that the leaf length was maximum in ZnO-NPs treated leaf samples at the concentration of 500 ppm in spinach; Maji et al. (2022) [18] reported that chitosan @ 100 ppm produced the longest leaves (8.27 cm, 13.23 cm, respectively) at 30 DAS and 60 DAS in palak.

The results pertaining to leaf width at 15, 30 and 45 DAT as influenced by various treatments are presented in [17] observed slight improvement in leaf width was observed in ZnO-NPs treated leaf samples in spinach; Maji et al. (2022) [18] showed that chitosan @ 100 ppm produced the wider leaves (4.76 cm, 7.29 cm, respectively) at 35 and 60 Days after sowing in palak. The increase in yield and yield attributing traits can be due to the fact that the supply of balanced amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and also micro-nutrients obtained by using foliar feeding, hence leading to proper nutrient absorption and metabolic processes in plants. The sufficient availability of these nutrients could have led to fast cell division, leaf expansion and growth, thereby giving rise to greater height, leaf area and biomass formation. Ultimately, this has improved the crop's yield. The obtained results go in line with the findings of Zewail et al. (2020) [19] in swiss chard; Kour et a l. (2022) [20] in spinach beet; Maji et al. (2022) [18] [21] in spinach.

Conclusion

Foliar nutrient application significantly enhanced the growth, yield and yield-attributing parameters of Swiss chard, with treatment T₆ (19: 19: 19) consistently recorded the highest values at 30 and 45 DAT for growth and yield attributing characters.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementsThe authors gratefully acknowledge the support of staff from RCSM Government College of Agriculture, Kolhapur and staffs of RWRRS, Mahabaleshwar for their invaluable contributions to this research.

References

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