Comparative evaluation of soil and foliar micronutrient application for enhancing productivity, quality and nutrient use efficiency of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in sandy soils

Introduction

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most important oilseed and food legume crops cultivated worldwide because of its high oil (45-50%) and protein (20-30%) content, making it an important source of edible oil, nutrition, and farm income. In India, groundnut is predominantly grown under rainfed and light-textured soils, where productivity is frequently constrained by low soil fertility, poor organic matter content, and widespread micronutrient deficiencies. Sandy soils are particularly susceptible to nutrient losses owing to their low cation exchange capacity and poor moisture-holding ability, resulting in reduced nutrient availability and lower crop productivity. Consequently, balanced nutrient management has become essential for sustaining groundnut production in these fragile agroecosystems (Vasuki & Sudhalakshmi, 2022; Abhigna et al., 2021; Rabari et al., 2024) [17, 1, 13] . Among the essential micronutrients, zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and boron (B) play indispensable roles in plant growth and development. Zinc regulates enzyme activity, protein synthesis, chlorophyll formation, and auxin metabolism, whereas iron is essential for photosynthesis, respiration, and chlorophyll biosynthesis. Boron is involved in cell wall formation, pollen viability, fertilization, carbohydrate transport, and seed development. Deficiency of these micronutrients adversely affects nodulation, photosynthetic efficiency, reproductive development, pod formation, and kernel quality, ultimately reducing yield and nutrient use efficiency in groundnut (Haneena et [6,14,5] . [2,3,8,11,9] . Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to compare the effectiveness of soil and foliar application of zinc, iron, and boron, individually and in combination, for improving growth, productivity, quality, and nutrient use efficiency of groundnut cultivated in sandy soils.

Materials and Methods

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2024-2025 at the Research Farm, School of Agriculture Science, Technology and Research, Sardar Patel University, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, India. The experimental site comprised sandy soil with low native fertility. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with ten treatments and three replications. Recommended agronomic practices were followed uniformly throughout the crop growth period. The treatments consisted of control (T₁), farmyard manure (FYM) @ 10 t ha⁻¹ (T₂), soil application of ZnSO₄ @ 16 kg ha⁻¹ (T₃), FeSO₄ @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ (T₄), borax @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ (T₅), combined soil application of ZnSO₄ + FeSO₄ + borax (T₆), foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 0.2% (T₇), FeSO₄ @ 0.5% (T₈), borax @ 0.25% (T₉), and combined foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 0.2% + FeSO₄ @ 0.5% + borax @ 0.25% (T₁₀). Soil-applied micronutrients were applied as basal, whereas foliar sprays were imposed at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS). The treatment details are presented in Table 1.

Growth observations, including plant height, number of branches plant⁻¹, SPAD chlorophyll reading, leaf area index, nodules plant⁻¹, nodule dry weight, and dry matter production, were recorded at appropriate crop growth stages. Phenological observations comprised days to 50% flowering and days to maturity, while yield attributes included developed pods plant⁻¹, total pods plant⁻¹, kernels pod⁻¹, and 100-kernel weight. At harvest, pod yield, kernel yield, haulm yield, harvest index, shelling percentage, protein content, oil content, and oil yield were recorded using standard procedures. Nitrogen content was determined by the modified Kjeldahl method (Jackson, 1973) [7] , phosphorus by the vanado-molybdate yellow colour method (Jackson, 1973) [7] , potassium by flame photometry (Jackson, 1973) [7] , zinc and iron by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Lindsay & Norvell, 1978) [10] , and boron by the curcumin method (Tandon, 2005) [16] . Nutrient uptake was computed by multiplying nutrient concentration with the corresponding dry matter or economic yield as described in the standard procedures. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) appropriate for a Randomized Block Design as described by Gomez and Gomez (1984) [4] . Treatment means were compared using the critical difference (CD) test at the 5% probability level. All the analysis were performed using Rstudio (Posit team, 2025) [12] .

Results and Discussion

Growth attributes of groundnut were significantly influenced by different micronutrient application methods (Table 2). Application of FYM @ 10 t ha⁻¹ (T₂) recorded the highest growth, followed by the combined soil application of ZnSO₄ + FeSO₄ + borax (T₆). These treatments significantly increased plant height, SPAD chlorophyll reading, nodulation, leaf area index, and dry matter production compared with the control, whereas individual foliar applications produced comparatively lower responses. Improved growth under FYM and combined soil micronutrient application could be attributed to enhanced nutrient availability, better root development, increased chlorophyll synthesis, and improved physiological activity. Similar improvements in vegetative growth following balanced micronutrient application have been reported by Abhigna et al. (2021) [1] , Vasuki and Sudhalakshmi (2022) [17] , Hadole et al. (2024) [5] , and Rabari et al. (2024) [13] .

Micronutrient application significantly influenced yield attributes of groundnut, whereas days to 50% flowering and days to maturity remained statistically unaffected (Table 3). Application of FYM @ 10 t ha⁻¹ (T₂) recorded the highest number of developed pods plant⁻¹, total pods plant⁻¹ and 100-kernel weight, followed by the combined soil application of ZnSO₄ + FeSO₄ + borax (T₆). In contrast, the control treatment produced the lowest values for all yield attributes. The improvement in pod development and kernel weight under integrated nutrient management indicates enhanced assimilate partitioning and reproductive efficiency resulting from balanced micronutrient nutrition. The superior performance of FYM and combined soil application may be attributed to improved nutrient availability, enhanced photosynthetic activity, efficient carbohydrate translocation and better pollen viability, which collectively promoted pod formation and seed filling. Zinc, iron and boron play complementary roles in enzyme activation, chlorophyll synthesis and reproductive development, thereby improving sink strength and kernel development. Similar enhancements in yield attributes following balanced micronutrient application have been reported by Vasuki and Sudhalakshmi (2022) [17] , Hadole et al. (2024) [5] , Sai Venkatesh et al. (2024) [14] , and Shashank et al. (2024) [15] . Micronutrient application significantly improved pod yield, kernel yield, haulm yield, shelling percentage, protein content, oil content, and oil yield compared with the control (Tables 4 and5). Among all treatments, FYM @ 10 t ha⁻¹ (T₂) recorded the highest pod yield (2506 kg ha⁻¹), kernel yield (1864 kg ha⁻¹), shelling percentage (74.48%), protein content (24.85%), oil content (49.77%), and oil yield (928.24 kg ha⁻¹), followed by the combined soil application of ZnSO₄ + FeSO₄ + borax (T₆). Although harvest index did not differ significantly among treatments, balanced micronutrient application markedly enhanced both yield and quality parameters over the control. The increased productivity under FYM and combined soil application can be attributed to improved nutrient availability, enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, greater assimilate translocation to developing pods, and better nutrient uptake throughout the crop growth period. Improved shelling percentage, protein content, and oil content further indicate the beneficial role of balanced micronutrient nutrition in enhancing kernel development and biochemical composition. Similar positive responses of groundnut to integrated application of Zn, Fe, and B have been reported by Rabari et al. (2024) [13] , Patel et al. (2024) [11] , Hadole et al. (2024) [5] , Jegadeeswari et al.

(2025) [9] , and Wahane et al. (2024) [18] , who also observed significant improvements in yield, quality, and nutrient use efficiency following balanced micronutrient management. Farmyard manure (FYM) @ 10 t ha⁻¹ T₃ Soil application of zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄) @ 16 kg ha⁻¹ as basal T₄ Soil application of ferrous sulphate (FeSO₄) @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ as basal T₅ Soil application of borax @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ as basal T₆ Soil application of ZnSO₄ @ 16 kg ha⁻¹ + FeSO₄ @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ + borax @ 10 kg ha⁻¹ as basal T₇ Foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 0.2% at 30 and 60 DAS T₈ Foliar application of FeSO₄ @ 0.5% at 30 and 60 DAS T₉ Foliar application of borax @ 0.25% at 30 and 60 DAS T₁₀ Foliar application of ZnSO₄ @ 0.2% + FeSO₄ @ 0.5% + borax @ 0.25% at 30 and 60 DAS

Conclusion

The present study demonstrated that both soil and foliar application of micronutrients improved the growth, yield, and quality of groundnut cultivated in sandy soils; however, the magnitude of response varied with the method of application. Application of FYM @ 10 t ha⁻¹ (T₂) proved to be the most effective treatment, recording the highest growth, yield attributes, pod yield, kernel yield, protein content, oil content, and oil yield. Among the inorganic micronutrient treatments, the combined soil application of ZnSO₄ + FeSO₄ + borax (T₆) consistently outperformed individual soil and foliar applications, indicating the advantage of balanced micronutrient nutrition. Although combined foliar application also improved crop performance over the control, its response was comparatively lower than that of combined soil application. These findings suggest that integrated nutrient management through FYM or, where organic manure is unavailable, combined soil application of Zn, Fe, and B is an effective strategy for improving productivity and quality of groundnut under sandy soil conditions. The study highlights the importance of balanced micronutrient management for sustainable groundnut cultivation and provides a practical nutrient management option for micronutrient-deficient sandy soils.

References

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