Effect of Foliar Application of Calcium Nitrate and Boric Acid on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Contents of Turnip Plant (Brassica rapa L.)

Two field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of foliar application of calcium and boron and their combinations, on growth, yield and nutrients concentration of turnip plant (Brassica rapa L.) which grown under clay soil condition in Assiuot governorat -, Egypt during two successive seasons of 2008 and 2009, including two varieties of turnip plants, which are called as Baladi and Japanese. Four concentrations of B, were applied as Boric acid (H3BO3) form which was ranging from 0 to 4 g/l,, and one concentration of Ca as calcium nitrate (CaNO3) form was a dose of 5g/l. The results showed that there were significant differences between the treatments and the controls. After 50 days from sowing, the data shown that Balady variety showed the highest plant height, fresh weight of leaves and root/plant. Japanese variety had the highest nutrient concentrations of P, K, Ca in leaf and P in root, while Balady variety had the highest value in terms of N, K, Ca, B in root and B in leaves. However, sprays of calcium nitrate at concentration of 5g/l + Boric acid 1g/l significantly increased the head diameter, fresh weight of leaves, root and led to improving of fresh weight of total plant, as well as N in leaves and K nutrient content of leaves and root. In both seasons, Boric acid (2g/l) foliar application gave rise to significant increases in the concentrations of the B in the leaves and Ca in the root and on the opposite, foliar application of Ca alone, led to decrease of K and B in leaves as compared with the other applications. In both seasons, the combination between calcium nitrate (5g/l) and Boric acid (1g/l) increased N in root, and with Boric acid (2g/l) increased Ca in leaves while Boric acid (4g/l) increased P concentrationin root.