Optimizing growth, quality, and profitability of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) using ZnO and FeO nanoparticles

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate different treatment combinations of ZnO and FeO nanoparticles on various horticultural and biochemical attributes of brinjal varieties. The experiment was started at Vegetable Farm, Department of Horticulture, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, in 2023. The study used two brinjal varieties, Pusa Oishiki and Pusa Vaibhav, and sixteen ZnO and FeO NPs treatment combinations, and data on various growth, yield, and biochemical attributes were collected. The variance analysis recorded a positive and significant variability for all the attributes studied in Brinjal. Statistical and economic analysis showed that Pusa Vaibhav had shown a positive increment for most of the studied attributes, viz., early flowering, leaf area, fruit width, average fruit weight, fruit yield/plant, and fruit yield quintal/hectare. A positively significant influence of the treatment interactions has been observed on some of the biochemical attributes, such as ascorbic acid content, crude fiber content, chlorophyll content, total phenol content, and dry matter content. Among the treatments, 75-ppm ZnO + 50 ppm FeO, followed by 50 ppm ZnO + 100 ppm FeO and 75 ppm ZnO + 75 ppm FeO, showed the highest mean values for most growth, yield, and biochemical attributes. When applied to the Pusa Vaibhav variety, these treatments notably improved attributes viz., days to 50% flowering, number of leaves/plants, stem diameter, leaf area, root length, fruit yield/plant, total fruit yield/hectare. A similar result has been found for dry matter content, ascorbic acid content, and total phenol content. Similarly, the best three interaction combinations were also observed with maximum gross return, net return, and benefit-to-cost ratio, and found to be most suitable to get maximum profit margins from brinjal cultivation.