Effect of foliar application of boron on growth, yield, chlorophyll, amylose and nitrate reductase activity in rice

A field trial was conducted during wet season 2010 to evaluate the effect of foliar application of boron (B) on the content of chlorophyll, amylose and boron, nitrate reductase activity and yield of rice genotypes namely, IET 20979, IET 21007, IET 21106, IET 21114, IET 21519, IET 21540 and Rasi. Boron was applied at 0.2- 0.8 ppm at the time of anthesis. The results revealed that 0.4ppm foliar application of boron evoked best response from all genotypes in terms of total dry matter, biological yield, economic yield and harvest index. The content of chlorophyll, boron, amylose and nitrate reductase activity increased significantly in most of the genotypes as compared to the control. The study suggests that foliar application of boron may enhance performance of rice plant in terms of grain yield and quality.