Impact of foliar application of micronutrients on growth, yield, fruit quality characteristics and profitability in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) cv. Ridhi

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a significant warm-season vegetable crop, renowned for its tender and nutritious fruits that are abundant in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. It is widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions because of its adaptability and economic importance. Despite its potential, it remains difficult to achieve higher productivity and quality due to suboptimal nutrient management practices. A field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm, School of Agriculture Sanjeev Agrawal Global Educational University, Bhopal during spring-summer season of 2024. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 14 treatment combinations with three replications. Foliar applications of various micronutrients (B, Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn) were applied at 30 and 45 days after sowing during the evening hours. The foliar application of various micronutrients was found to enhance the growth, yield, fruit quality and financial viability of okra. The findings revealed that the highest values for plant height (135.39 cm), leaf area (4377.92 cm2), leaf area index (3.86), specific leaf weight (9.85 mg/cm2), total leaf chlorophyll (1.88 mg g- 1), total fruit chlorophyll (0.84 mg g- 1), dry matter (12.16 %), crude protein (10.29%), vitamin C (13.65 mg/100g), fruit length (10.30 cm), fruit diameter (1.42 cm), average fruit weight (9.33 g), fruit weight/plant (232.61g), number of fruits/plant (22.05) and fruit yield (172.84 q/ha) were achieved with the foliar application of treatment T14. However, in term of economics the treatment T14 documented maximum gross return (54, 5310.20) and net return (44, 5143.59) and B: C ratio of (4.44). In conclusion, the study revealed that the foliar application of micronutrients, mostly treatment T14, significantly improved the growth, yield, quality and profitability of okra cultivation. This underscores the significance of balancing micronutrient management for ensuring sustainable and economically viable crop production. The purpose of this study is to determine the most effective nutrient management strategy for optimizing okra cultivation by assessing the impact of different micronutrient treatments on plant growth, yield, quality and financial performance.