Foliage applied boron along with boron-tolerant bacteria (Bacillus sp. MN54) ensures better nodulation, growth, grain yield and grains-B biofortification of chickpea

References

• Dordas, C, and P. H. Brown. 2000. Permeability of boric acid across lipid bilayers and factors affecting it. The Journal of Membrane Biology 175 (2):95–105. doi: 10.0.0927/s002320001058.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Ahmad, I., M. J. Akhtar, A. Zakir, M. B. Hussain, A. Khaliq, M. F. Saeed, M. A. Farooqi, and N. Ahmed. 2020. Co-inoculation of biogas slurry and Bacillus strain CIK-515 in improving nutrient concentration and yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum). Pakistan Journal of Botany 52 (4):1465–72. doi: 10.30848/PJB2020-4(45).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ahmad, W., A. Niaz, S. Kanwal, Rahmatullah, and M. K. Rasheed. 2009. Role of boron in plant growth: A review. Journal of Agricultural Research 47:329–38.
   Google Scholar
• Alloway, B. J. 2008. Zinc in soils and crop nutrition. Brussels: IZA Publications. International Zinc Association.
   Google Scholar
• Attia, Z. M., A. A. El-Mehy, and K. S. Badr. 2018. Effect of preceding catch crop with the boron foliar application on yield and quality of beet (Beta vulgaris L.). Menoufia Journal of Plant Production 3 (3):287–301. doi: 10.21608/mjppf.2018.175457.
   Google Scholar
• Bhat, M. A., V. Kumar, M. A. Bhat, I. A. Wani, F. L. Dar, I. Farooq, F. Bhatti, R. Koser, S. Rahman, and A. T. Jan. 2020. Mechanistic insights of the interaction of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with plant roots toward enhancing plant productivity by alleviating salinity stress. Frontiers in Microbiology 11:1952. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01952.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bhatnagar, T., K. D. Ameta, S. Mohan, K. T. Jitendra, R. A. Kaushik, R. B. Dubey, and B. G. Chippa. 2021. Influence of foliar application of boron on growth and yield of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.). The Pharma Innovation Journal 10:710–4.
   Google Scholar
• Borkakati, K, and P. N. Takkar. 2000. Forms of boron in acid alluvial and lateritic soils in relation to ecosystem and rainfall distribution. Better Crops 2:127–8.
   Google Scholar
• Brown, P. H., N. Bellaloui, M. A. Wimmer, E. S. Bassil, J. Ruiz, H. Hu, H. Pfeffer, F. Dannel, and V. Romheld. 2002. Boron in plant biology. Plant Biology 4 (2):205–23. doi: 10.1055/s-2002-25740.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bruyn, J. A. 1966. The in vitro germination of pollen of Setaria sphacelata 2. Relationships between boron and certain cations. Physiologia Plantarum 19 (2):322–7. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1966.tb07022.x.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Camacho-Cristóbal, J. J., J. Rexach, and A. González-Fontes. 2008. Boron in plants: Deficiency and toxicity. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 50 (10):1247–55. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7909.2008.00742.x.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chapman, H. D, and P. F. Pratt. 1961. Methods of analysis for soils, plants, and waters. Riverside, CA: University of California.
   Google Scholar
• Chitralekha, C, and N. Nirmala. 2000. Developmental aberrations in seeds of boron deficient sunflower and recovery. Journal of Plant Nutrition 23:835–41. doi: 10.1080/01904160009382064.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dey, R., K. K. Pal, D. M. Bhatt, and S. M. Chauhan. 2004. Growth promotion and yield enhancement of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) by application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Microbiological Research 159 (4):371–94. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2004.08.004.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dwivedi, S., L. K. L. Sahrawat, K. N. Rai, M. W. Blair, M. Andersson, and W. Pfieffer. 2012. Nutritionally enhanced staple food crops. Plant Breeding Review 34:169–262.
   Google Scholar
• Edwards, U., T. Rogall, H. Blocker, M. Emde, and E. C. Bottger. 1989. Isolation and direct complete nucleotide determination of entire genes: Characterization of a gene coding for 16S ribosomal RNA. Nucleic Acids Research 17 (19):7843–53. doi: 10.1093/nar/17.19.7843.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Egamberdieva, D., S. Wirth, S. D. B. Kimura, J. Mishra, and N. K. Arora. 2019. Salt tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for enhancing crop productivity of saline soils. Frontiers in Microbiology 10:2791. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02791.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2014. An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Food Security. www.fao.org/docrep/013/al936e/al936e00.pdf.
   Google Scholar
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2017. Soil Fertility Atlas of Pakistan: The Punjab Province. W. Ahmad, Y. Niino, M. H. Zia, K. Mahmood, A. Ashraf, N. Ahmad, Edward M. Salim and M.A. Shakir (Eds.). Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), p. 115.
   Google Scholar
• Farooq, M., N. Gogoi, S. Barthakur, B. Baroowa, N. Bharadwaj, S. S. Alghamdi, and K. H. M. Siddique. 2017. Drought stress in grain legumes during reproduction and grain filling. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 203 (2):81–102. doi: 10.1111/jac.12169.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gao, C., A. M. El-Sawah, D. F. I. Ali, Y. A. Hamoud, H. Shaghaleh, and M. S. Sheteiwy. 2020. The integration of bio and organic fertilizers improve plant growth, grain yield, quality and metabolism of hybrid maize (Zea mays L.). Agronomy 10 (3):319. doi: 10.3390/agronomy0.09230319.
   Google Scholar
• George, R, and M. Schmitt. 2002. Zinc for crop production. Minneapolis, MN: Regents of the University of Minnesota.
   Google Scholar
• Goldbach, H., L. Huang, and M. Wimmer. 2007. Boron functions in plants and animals: Recent advances in boron research and open questions. In: Adv. plant animal B. Nutr., ed. by Xu, F., H.E. Goldbach, P.H. Brown, R.W. Bell, T. Fujiwara, C.D. Hunt, S. Goldberg, L. Shi, 3–25. Dordrecht: Springer.
   Google Scholar
• Goldbach, H. E, and M. A. Wimmer. 2007. Boron in plants and animals: Is there a role beyond cell wall structure. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 170 (1):39–48. doi: 10.1002/jpln.200625161.
   Google Scholar
• Hosseini, S. M., M. Maftoun, N. Karimian, A. Ronaghi, and Y. Emam. 2007. Effect of zinc and boron interaction on plant growth and tissue nutrient concentration of corn. Journal of Plant Nutrition 30 (5):773–81. doi: 10.1080/01904160701289974.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hussain, M., N. Mehboob, M. Naveed, K. Shehzadi, and T. A. Yasir. 2020. Optimizing boron seed coating level and boron-tolerant bacteria for improving yield and biofortification of chickpea. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 20 (4):2471–8. doi: 10.0.0927/s42729-020-00313-y.
   Google Scholar
• Kachave, T. R, and H. K. Kausadikar. 2018. Impacts of foliar application of specialty fertilizers on nutrient uptake of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). International Journal of Communication Systems 6:1699–702.
   Google Scholar
• Mehboob, N., W. A. Minhas, M. Naeem, T. A. Yasir, M. Naveed, S. Farooq, and M. Hussain. 2022. Seed priming with boron and Bacillus sp. MN54 inoculation improves chickpea productivity and grain boron concentrations. Crop & Pasture Science 73 (5):494–502. doi: 10.1071/CP21377.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• NARC 2017. National coordinated pulses programme NARC, Islamabad. Available online at http://www.parc.gov.pk/index.php/en/csi/137-narc/crop-sciences-institue/712-national-coordinated-pulses-programme.
   Google Scholar
• Naveed, M., B. Mitter, S. Yousaf, M. Pastar, M. Afzal, and A. Sessitsch. 2014. The endophyte Enterobacter sp. FD17: A maize growth enhancer selected based on rigorous testing of plant beneficial traits and colonization characteristics. Biology and Fertility of Soils 50 (2):249–62. doi: 10.0.0927/s00374-013-0854-y.
   Google Scholar
• Pandey, N, and B. Gupta. 2013. The impact of foliar boron sprays on reproductive biology and seed quality of black gram. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 27 (1):58–64. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2012.07.003.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• PARC (Pakistan Agricultural Research Council). 2020–21. Pulses programme NARC, Islamabad. http://www.parc.gov.pk/index.php/en/137-narc/crop-sciences-institue/712-national-coordinated-pulses-programme.
   Google Scholar
• Philippot, L., J. M. Raaijmakers, P. Lemanceau, and W. H. van der Putten. 2013. Going back to the roots: The microbial ecology of the rhizosphere. Nature Reviews. Microbiology 11 (11):789–99. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro3109.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Praveena, R., G. Ghosh, and V. Singh. 2018. Effect of foliar spray of boron and different zinc levels on the growth and yield of kharif green gram (Vigna radiata). International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences 7 (08):1422–8. doi: 10.20546/ijcmas.2018.708.163.
   Google Scholar
• Rafique, E., A. Rashid, J. Ryan, and A. U. Bhatti. 2006. Zinc deficiency in rainfed wheat in Pakistan: Magnitude spatial variability, management and plant analysis diagnostic norms. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 37 (1-2):181–97. doi: 10.1080/00103620500403176.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Rashid, A., E. Rafique, A. U. Bhatti, J. Ryan, N. Bughio, and S. K. Yau. 2011. Boron deficiency in rainfed wheat in Pakistan: Incidence, spatial variability and management strategies. Journal of Plant Nutrition 34 (4):600–13. doi: 10.1080/01904167.2011.538286.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Rashid, A., M. Yaseen, M. Ashraf, and R. A. Mann. 2004. Boron deficiency in calcareous soils reduces rice yield and impairs grain quality. International Rice Research Notes 29:58–60.
   Google Scholar
• Ritchie, H, and M. Roser. 2017. Micronutrient Deficiency. Published online at our world in data.org. Retrieved from. https://ourworldindata.org/micronutrient-deficiency.
   Google Scholar
• Rostami, H., A. Dejahang, S. J. Tabatabaei, and F. Z. Nahandi. 2017. Effects of different boron concentration on the growth and physiological characteristics of two olive cultivars. Journal of Plant Nutrition 40 (17):2421–31. doi: 10.1080/01904167.2017.1346680.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sadeghzadeh, B. 2013. A review of zinc nutrition and plant breeding. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 13:1–927. doi: 10.4067/S0718-95162013005000072.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Samreen, T., Z. A. Zahir, M. Naveed, and M. Asghar. 2019. Boron tolerant phosphorus solubilizing Bacillus sp. strain MN-54 improved canola growth in alkaline calcareous soils. International Journal of Agriculture and Biology 21:538–46. doi: 10.17957/IJAB/15.0926.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sarakhsi, H. S., M. Yarnia, and R. Amirniya. 2010. Effect of nitrogen foliar application in different concentration and growth stage of corn (Hybrid 704). Advances in Environmental Biology 4(2):291-98.
   Google Scholar
• Sarker, S. K., M. A. H. Chowdhury, and H. M. Zakir. 2002. Sulphur and boron fertilization on yield quality and nutrient uptake by Bangladesh soybean-4. Journal of Biological Sciences 2 (11):729–73. doi: 10.3923/jbs.2002.729.733.
   Google Scholar
• Soomro, Z., P. Baloch, and A. Gandhai. 2011. Comparative effects of foliar and soil applied boron on growth and fodder yield of maize. Pakistan Journal of Agriculture: Agricultural Engineering Veterinary Sciences 27:18–26.
   Google Scholar
• Stangoulis, J. C., R. J. Reid, P. H. Brown, and R. D. Graham. 2001. Kinetic analysis of boron transport in Chara. Planta 213 (1):142–6. doi: 10.0.0927/s004250000484.
   Google Scholar
• Steel, R. G. D., J. H. Torrie, and D. A. Dicky. 1997. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. A Biometrical Approach, 3rd ed, 352–8. New York: McGraw Hill, Inc. Book Co.
   Google Scholar
• Tsiantas, P. I., I. E. Papadakis, G. Tsaniklidis, M. Landi, and M. Psychoyou. 2019. Allocation pattern, nutrient partitioning, sugar metabolism, and pigment composition in hydroponically grown loquat seedlings subjected to increasing boron concentrations. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 19 (3):556–64. doi: 10.0.0927/s42729-019-00054-7.
   Google Scholar
• Wang, Y., L. Shi, X. Cao, and F. Xu. 2007. Plant boron nutrition and boron fertilization in China. In: Advances in plant and animal boron nutrition, ed. Xu. F, Goldbach H. E, Brown P. H, Bell R. W, Fujiwara T, Hunt C. D, Goldberg S, Shi L, 93–101. Dordrecht: Springer.
   Google Scholar
• Wasaya, A., M. S. Shabir, M. Hussain, M. Ansar, A. Aziz, W. Hassan, and I. Ahmad. 2017. Foliar application of zinc and boron improved the productivity and net returns of maize grown under rainfed conditions of Pothwar plateau. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 17:1–45. doi: 10.4067/S0718-95162017005000003.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Weisburg, W. G., S. M. Barns, D. A. Pelletier, and D. J. Lane. 1991. 16S ribosomal DNA amplification for phylogenetic study. Journal of Bacteriology 173 (2):697–703. doi: 10.1128/JB.173.2.697-703.1991.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wimmer, M. A., G. Lochnit, E. Bassil, K. H. Muhling, and H. E. Goldbach. 2009. Membrane-associated, boron-interacting proteins isolated by boronate affinity chromatography. Plant & Cell Physiology 50 (7):1292–304. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcp073.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wood, J. A, and M. A. Grusak. 2007. Nutritional value of chickpea. In: Chickpea Breeding and Management, ed. by Yadav, S.S., Redden, B., Chen, W. and Sharma, B., 101–42. Wallingford: CAB International. doi: 10.1079/9781845932138.005.
   Google Scholar
• Yau, S. K, and J. Ryan. 2008. Boron toxicity tolerance in crops: a viable alternative to soil amelioration. Crop Science 48 (3):854–65. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2007.10.0539.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zayed, B. A., A. K. M. Salem, and H. M. El Sharkawy. 2011. Effect of different micronutrient treatments on rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth and yield under saline soil conditions. World Journal of Agricultural Science 7:179–84.
   Google Scholar
• Ziaeyan, A. H, and M. Rajaie. 2009. Combined effect of zinc and boron on yield and nutrients accumulation in corn. International Journal of Plant Production 3:35–44.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar