Effect of phosphorus and boron on growth, yield, nutrient uptake by chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and soil chemical characteristics

Introduction

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), commonly known as Bengal gram or chana, is one of the most important Rabi pulse crops and is considered the "king of pulses." It is an important source of dietary protein, carbohydrates, minerals and dietary fibre and contributes substantially to food and nutritional security. In addition to its nutritional importance, chickpea improves soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation, making it an important component of sustainable cropping systems. However, chickpea productivity is frequently limited by inadequate availability of essential nutrients, particularly phosphorus (P) and boron (B). Phosphorus plays a vital role in energy transfer, root development, nodulation and reproductive growth, while boron is essential for pollen germination, fertilization, pod formation and seed development. Adequate phosphorus promotes root proliferation and effective nodulation, whereas boron helps in reducing flower abortion and improving pod and seed formation (Tomar and Singh, 2022; Koul et al., 2022) [8] . Phosphorus and boron nutrition can also improve nutrient uptake and grain productivity of chickpea, particularly under nutrient-deficient soil conditions (Sultonov et al., 2025) [15] . Balanced application of P and B is therefore important for improving growth, yield attributes, grain yield and nutrient-use efficiency of chickpea while maintaining soil fertility. Hence, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of phosphorus and boron application on growth, yield, nutrient uptake and soil chemical properties of chickpea under the agro-climatic conditions of Rajasthan.

Materials and methods

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Department of Soil Science, School of Agriculture, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, to assess the effects of phosphorus and boron on growth, yield, nutrient uptake, soil fertility and economics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). The experimental site is located in a semi-arid, subtropical climate characterized by extreme temperature variations, with hot and dry summers (maximum temperature up to 45°C) and cold winters (minimum temperature as low as 2.8°C). The area receives an average annual rainfall of 500-800 mm, mostly concentrated during the monsoon season. The soil of the experimental field was sandy loam in texture, saline in reaction, with the following initial characteristics: Soil of the experimental field was sandy loam intexture, saline in reaction with a pH value of 7.62, EC (0.48 dSm-1), poor in organic carbon (0.34%), low in available nitrogen (134.25 kg/ha), phosphorus (13.25kg/ha) and (178.15 kg/ha) but medium in available potassium (320 kg/ha). The factorial randomized block design with three replications. The collected data were statistically analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) appropriate for the RBD design to determine the significance of treatment effects. [5,8,10,12] . Recent research also confirms that phosphorus availability is closely associated with improved nodulation and nutrient acquisition in chickpea. Boron also significantly improved plant height and nodulation. The highest plant height (20.99 and 44.85 cm at 30 and 60 DAS) and nodules (35.45 plant⁻¹) were obtained with B₃, i.e., soil application of borax @ 5 kg ha⁻¹ + foliar spray of borax @ 0.3% at 30 and 60 DAS. The beneficial effect of boron may be related to its involvement in cell-wall formation, membrane stability, carbohydrate translocation, root growth and reproductive development. Boron is an essential micronutrient and its deficiency can restrict normal plant growth and productivity. 2022) [4, 10, 13] reported beneficial effects of boron on chickpea growth and yield.

Results and Discussion

Yield attributes and grain yield

Phosphorus and boron significantly enhanced the yield attributes of chickpea. The highest values were generally obtained with higher phosphorus application and combined soil and foliar boron application. The interaction between phosphorus and boron was also important, with P₃B₃ recording the maximum grain yield of 1720 kg ha⁻¹, whereas P₀B₀ produced only 1220 kg ha⁻¹. The increased grain yield under phosphorus application may be explained by better root development, enhanced nodulation, greater nutrient uptake and efficient translocation of assimilates towards reproductive organs. Phosphorus is particularly important during flowering, pod formation and seed development. Similar increases in yield and yield attributes of chickpea with phosphorus fertilization were reported by Badini (2015), Jaiswal and Tomar (2022), Kumar et [8,10,12] . The positive effect of boron on yield may be attributed to its role in pollen germination, pollen-tube growth, fertilization, seed formation and carbohydrate movement. Embadwar et al. (2023) and Kumar et al. (2022) reported significant improvement in growth and yield of chickpea following boron application. The present results are particularly consistent with Garg and Lilhare (2024) [4,5,10] , who reported that combined phosphorus and boron application improved chickpea growth, yield attributes, grain yield and quality.

Nutrient content and uptake:

Phosphorus and boron significantly increased nutrient concentration and uptake by chickpea grain. Grain nitrogen content increased from 3.12% under control to 3.40% with P₃, while nitrogen uptake increased from 38.22 to 54.47 kg ha⁻¹. Under boron, B₃ recorded 3.30% nitrogen and 50.73 kg ha⁻¹ nitrogen uptake compared with 3.19% and 43.32 kg ha⁻¹ under B₀. The greater nitrogen uptake under phosphorus may be associated with enhanced nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation. Increased biomass and grain production also contributed to greater nutrient removal from the soil. Similar improvement in nutrient uptake following phosphorus application has been reported by Das et al. (2016) and Lalrinzuali et al. (2023) [12] . Phosphorus-microbial interactions have also been shown to improve chickpea growth and nutrient acquisition under P-deficient conditions. Grain phosphorus content increased from 0.32% in P₀ to 0.41% in P₃, while B₃ recorded 0.38% compared with 0.34% under B₀. The increase indicates improved phosphorus availability and uptake under fertilized conditions. Similar improvement in grain nutrient concentration and quality with balanced phosphorus and boron nutrition has been reported in chickpea.

Soil chemical properties:

Phosphorus and boron application did not significantly influence soil pH, EC and organic carbon, indicating that these properties remained relatively stable during the experimental season. In contrast, available nitrogen was significantly increased, with the highest value of 178.85 kg ha⁻¹ under P₃ and 176.45 kg ha⁻¹ under B₃. The increase in available nutrients may be due to enhanced root activity, improved nutrient cycling and greater biological activity in the rhizosphere. Phosphorus fertilization directly increases the soil P pool, while improved root growth facilitates nutrient acquisition. Similar effects of phosphorus fertilization on soil fertility and chickpea productivity have been reported by Kumar et al. (2019) and Lalrinzuali et al. (2023) [11,12] .

Conclusion:

The overall results indicate that P₃ (60 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) and B₃ (soil borax @ 5 kg ha⁻¹ + foliar borax @ 0.3%) were the most effective treatments. Their combined application (P₃B₃) produced the highest grain yield of 1720 kg ha⁻¹. The synergistic response of P and B can be explained by their complementary physiological functions. Phosphorus mainly promotes root development, energy metabolism, nodulation and nutrient uptake, whereas boron supports cell development, reproductive growth, pollen fertility and assimilate translocation. Therefore, balanced application of both nutrients can improve chickpea productivity and nutrient-use efficiency. This conclusion is strongly supported by recent field research on combined P and B nutrition in chickpea.

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