Ecological Implications of Foliar Zinc and Iron Application on Growth Dynamics and Sustainable Productivity of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Authors

  • Priyanka Bohra

    School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun 248002, India
  • Kumar Gaurav

    School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun 248002, India
  • Deepak Kholiya

    School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun 248002, India
  • Piyush Vashistha

    Department of Computer Engineering and Applications, GLA University, Mathura 281406, India
  • Anant Deogaonkar

    Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Nagpur, Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, Pune 412115, India
  • Rajesh Vaidya

    Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Nagpur 440008, India
  • Gumpi Kabak

    School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144401, India
  • Divya

    Department of Biological Sciences, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T), Pantnagar 263145, India
  • Saurabh Gangola

    Department of Microbiology, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun 248002, India
  • Sunil Kumar

    Department of Microbiology, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun 248002, India
  • Anupama Rawat

    School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun 248002, India
  • Shashank Srivastav

    School of Agriculture Science, LNCT University, Bhopal 462022, India
  • Vivek Kumar Pathak

    School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun 248002, India
  • Pragati Srivastava

    Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, IARI Pusa

    Campus, New Delhi 110012, India
  • Amit Mittal

    School of Allied Science, Graphic Era Hill University, Bhimtal 263136, India
  • Ashish Gaur

    Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun 248002, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v7i4.9642
Received: 22 April 2025 | Revised: 14 May 2025 | Accepted: 05 June 2025 | Published Online: 5 September 2025

Abstract

The physico-chemical analysis of agricultural soil revealed a textured sandy loam at the surface (0–15 cm), with low organic carbon content (0.42%) and moderate levels of nitrogen (157 kg/ha), phosphorus (15.5 kg/ha), and potassium (112.6 kg/ha), under neutral pH conditions (pH 7.4). The chickpea variety PG-186 was used to evaluate the impact of nutrient treatments on plant performance and agroecological outcomes. Experimental findings demonstrated a significant influence of various treatments on the growth, yield, and economic returns of chickpea cultivation. The treatment comprising 100% Recommended Dose of Fertilizers (RDF) along with foliar application of 0.6% ZnSO₄ and 0.9% FeSO₄ at pre-flowering and pod development stages (T8) resulted in the maximum plant height (15.5 cm, 33.7 cm, 45.0 cm), dry matter accumulation (27.5 g, 245.2 g, 1006.7 g/m²), and number of branches per plant (3.47, 5.00, and 8.63) at 45, 75, and 105 Days After Sowing (DAS), respectively. This treatment also resulted in the highest grain yield (21.00 q/ha) and stover yield (38.67 q/ha), along with a maximum net return of ₹95,392/ha and a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2.32. From an ecological standpoint, this study highlights the vital role of balanced and targeted nutrient management in enhancing agroecosystem productivity while maintaining ecological balance. The integration of micronutrient foliar sprays not only boosts nutrient uptake efficiency and plant health but also reduces dependency on excessive chemical fertilizers, thereby mitigating potential negative impacts on soil ecology. Overall, the findings underscore the ecological importance of optimizing nutrient inputs in legume-based cropping systems to foster sustainable agricultural practices that align with ecological resilience, soil health preservation, and environmental stewardship.

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Bohra, P., Gaurav, K., Kholiya, D., Vashistha, P., Deogaonkar, A., Vaidya, R., Kabak, G., Divya, Gangola, S., Kumar, S., Anupama Rawat, Srivastav, S., Pathak, V. K., Srivastava, P., Amit Mittal, & Ashish Gaur. (2025). Ecological Implications of Foliar Zinc and Iron Application on Growth Dynamics and Sustainable Productivity of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Research in Ecology, 7(4), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v7i4.9642

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Vol. 7, Iss. 4 (October 2025)(in progress)

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Copyright © 2025 Priyanka Bohra, Kumar Gaurav, Deepak Kholiya, Piyush Vashistha, Anant Deogaonkar, Rajesh Vaidya, Gumpi Kabak, Divya, Saurabh Gangola, Sunil Kumar, Anupama Rawat, Shashank Srivastav, Vivek Kumar Pathak, Pragati Srivastava, Amit Mittal, Ashish Gaur

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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