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VOLUME 54 ISSUE 1 (2020) 35
INTRODUCTION
Berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) is an important legume
fodder crop grown for livestock in Asia, Africa, USA and
Australia. In India berseem is grown in Rabi (winter) season
and it occupies 2 million ha area (Kumar et al., 2013).
Berseem is generally grown as pure stand by the farmers
for feeding to the livestock. During severe winter months
periods from December to February, berseem growth is slow
due to low minimum air temperature or cold wave or frost
occurrence which affects fodder availability to the livestock.
To increase growth of berseem either in pure stand or in
mixture, farmers generally use excessive urea which not
only affects nodule development in roots of legumes but
also pollute the environment (Dogra and Dudeja, 1993).
Mixture of berseem clover with cereal crop enhances total
dry matter yield, improves fodder quality, reduces fertilizer
use and also increases subsequent crop yield (Ross et al.,
2004). Farmer harvests 3-4 cuttings of berseem up to late
mid April as fodder for livestock and then leaves the berseem
crop for seed production. After 3-4 cuts as green fodder,
berseem plants retain less foliage, poor flowering and finally
low seed production (Kumar et al., 2013). It is very essential
that berseem crop attains sufficient height and tillering
capacity during initial cuts for obtaining high fodder yield
and later on crop left for seed production produces good
quantity and quality of seed. Abiotic stress factors cause
extensive loss to agriculture production worldwide (Anitha
et al., 2006; Kumar et al., 2013; Wahid et al., 2017). Among
abiotic stress factors, low temperature or frost causes
considerable reduction in growth and development of
berseem leading to reduced availability of green fodder.
Measures for alleviating cold injury in crops so far are
confined to the application of irrigation at large (Rao and
Sahu, 1991). But in berseem and its intercrops, frequent
irrigation impede root growth and causes diseases in crop
due to more damp conditions and also make difficult to
harvest fodder. Chemical means of assuage cold or low
temperature injury, therefore, appears necessary for
optimizing berseem and its intercrops productivity during
low temperature condition. Thiourea (TU) is an organic
compound having molecular formula Cs(NH2)2 has been
identified as an effective bio-regulator to improve growth
of plants under stress condition (Pandey et al., 2013; Amin
et al., 2014; Singh, 2015). Foliar spray of TU improves
vegetative growth and dry matter production in legume
(Dayanand et al., 2013; Amin et al., 2014), enhances
carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism (Singh 2015),
improve photosynthetic efficiency (Pandey et al., 2013),
promote synthesis of auxin and cytokinin for the
enhancement of cell division and chlorophyll formation under
stress conditions (Amin et al., 2014). Sulphur from H2SO4
promote oil synthesis and enhances seed protein, amino
acids, haematin enzymes (such as catalase and peroxidase)
Effect of Foliar Sprays of Sulfuric Acid and Thiourea on Herbage
and Seed Yield in Berseem (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.)
Balwinder Kumar1,2, R.S. Sarlach2 10.18805/IJARe.A-5227
RESEARCH ARTICLE Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, Volume 54 Issue 1: 35-42 (February 2020)
ABSTRACT
An abiotic stress such as low temperature or frost poses serious challenge for proper growth and development of the crop. The study
was carried out for two consecutive years to investigate the effect of mixed cropping (berseem + oat vs pure berseem) and two bio-
regulators (H2SO4 and Thiourea) applied at different concentrations (0.05 and 0.1%) during low temperature conditions on growth,
fodder yield and seed yield of berseem. Berseem + oat cropping recorded significantly higher green fodder yield, dry matter yield and
crude protein yield by 7.0%, 6.1 % and 3.4% respectively over pure stand. Bio-regulators sprays viz. H2SO4 and Thiourea after first cut
recorded 5.2-11.2% increase in green fodder yield. Berseem seed yield and harvest index were significantly superior in pure stand
than intercrops. An increase of 21.4% in berseem seed yield was recorded with foliar sprays of 0.05% TU over control.
Key words: Berseem, Bio-regulators, Fodder and seed yield, Foliar spray, Mixed cropping, Quality.
1Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal
Sciences University, Village Booh, Harike-143 412, Tarn Taran,
Punjab, India.
2Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana-141 004, Punjab, India.
Corresponding Author: Balwinder Kumar, Krishi Vigyan Kendra,
Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Village
Booh, Harike-143 412, Tarn Taran, Punjab, India. Email:
dr.balwinderkumar@rediffmail.com
How to cite this article: B. Kumar and Sarlach, R.S. (2020). Effect
of Foliar Sprays of Sulfuric Acid and Thiourea on Herbage and
Seed Yield in Berseem (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.). Indian Journal
of Agricultural Research. 54(1): 35-42.
Submitted: 19-02-2019 Accepted: 31-07-2019 Published: 07-10-2019
Indian Journal of Agricultural Research
36
and improve chlorophyll formation (Singh, 2015). In the
present study, the selected chemicals have different
characteristics, easily available and economical which make
them suitable choice for mitigating the damage induced by
low temperature stress. So, keeping this objective in view,
a field experiment was designed to know the effect of
different bio-regulators sprays during early cuts on the
growth of berseem grown as pure stand and in mixture
against very low minimum air temperature/frost injury and
seed production of berseem under different sowing
conditions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Field experiments were conducted during two consecutive
years at the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal
Sciences University, Ludhiana (3056 N, 7552 E, 247 m
above sea level), Punjab, India. The soil of the experimental
field was loamy sand in texture having pH 7.8, with 0.4%
Walkley and Black carbon, 15.0 kg P ha-1 Olsen P and 347
kg K ha-1 NH4OAc-extractable K. The climatic parameters
were recorded at the meteorological observatory of Punjab
Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Total amount of rainfall
received during the crop seasons from October to June were
117.5 mm and 164.4 mm in 2009-10 and 2010-11,
respectively. During the year 2009-10, mean minimum air
temperature during the month of December, January and
February were 6.5C, 6.6C and 9.9C whereas during the
year 2010-11 corresponding figures were 5.6C, 5.2C and
8.8C respectively. Number of days with <5C minimum air
temperature during the months of December, January and
February were 11, 6 and 1 while during the year 2010-11
number of days were 12, 20 and 0 days, respectively.
Minimum air temperature was <3C for 3 days in the month
of December during 2009-10 and for 5 days during the month
of December and January in the year 2010-11. Frost
occurred for one day in the month of December during 2009-
10 while for 11 and 15 days in the month of December and
January during the year 2010-11. Mean monthly maximum
and minimum air temperatures recorded were in May i.e.
40.2C and 24.4C and 39.4C and 25.0C during the year
2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively.
The treatments included combinations of two mixture
(berseem pure stand and berseem + oat mixture) and 2
combinations of bio-regulators and their concentrations,
namely H2SO4 and Thiourea (0.05% and 0.1%). An additional
untreated control (water spray) was also included in the
study. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized
complete block design with three replications. Two foliar
sprays of the Thiourea and diluted H2SO4 were applied at
one week interval 10 days after first and second cut. The
cultivar BL 42 of berseem and Kent of oat was used in this
study. The crop was sown as per treatment in plot area of
10.5 m2 on October 20 and October 16 during the year 2009-
10 and 2010-11, respectively. Sole crop of berseem was
sown evenly broadcasting the 25 kg seed ha-1 on well
prepared seed bed under dry soil conditions. Similarly in
mixed cropping, oat seed @ 30 kg ha-1 was drilled with hand
plough in the soil keeping line to line spacing of 22 cm apart
and then leveled the plot. Afterwards, berseem seed @ 25
kg ha-1 was broadcasted and raked in dry condition. In both
treatment plots (sole berseem and berseem + oat mixture),
light irrigation was provided on the same day after sowing.
A basal dose of 25 kg N (as urea) and 32.8 kg P ha-1 was
applied at sowing time. In sole and mixed crop (berseem
and oat), 25 kg N was applied after each cut. Four cuts of
green fodder were taken from each plot up to mid April and
then crop was left for seed production. As green fodder, 1st,
2nd, 3rd and 4th cuts were taken in 4th week of December, 1st
week of February, 2nd week of March and 2nd week of April
during both the years of study.
Observations were recorded on plant height, tillers
plant-1, green fodder yield (GFY), dry matter yield (DMY),
crude protein content and crude protein yield. After taking
four cuts during both the year’s, crop was allowed to grow
for seed production when the seeds in pods turned yellow.
Different growth parameters such as plant height and tillers
plant-1 and yield attributes like heads m2, seeds head-1, 1000
grain weight and seed yield were measured at harvest. The
data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA)
using IRRISTAT version 92 (IRRI, 1992). The crop data were
analyzed keeping mixtures as factor A and foliar treatments
as factor B in factorial randomized block design. The data
presented is averaged over the years and comparison of
treatment means was made by the least significant difference
(LSD) at p=0.05.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Plant height and tillers plant-1
Plant height at different cuts of berseem pure and in mixture
with oat is presented in Table 1. Data pertaining to berseem
plant height and tillers plant-1 under different treatments was
recorded at 2nd, 3rd, 4th and at harvest while oat plant height
and tillers were recorded at 2nd and 3rd cuts only owing its
cessation after that. No significant difference in plant height
of berseem was recorded in berseem pure and berseem+oat
mixture during the 2nd, 4th cuts and at harvest. During 3rd cut,
berseem plants in pure stand gained significantly more height
than in mixture (Table 1) owing to no competition from other
crop. Similarly significantly more number of tillers plant-1 in
berseem were recorded in pure stand than in mixture during
3rd, 4th cuts and at harvest except at 1st cut. Higher numbers
of tillers plant-1 in pure stand might be due to better
availability of growth resources to the plants. As oat was
present only in mixture (berseem + oat) data related to its
plant height and tillers plant-1 is not presented in Table 1.
Foliar sprays of different bio-regulators recorded
significant effect on plant height and tillers plant-1 of berseem
and oat (Table 2). Foliar sprays of thiourea @ 0.05%
recorded taller plants and more tillers plant-1 in berseem
and oat at different cuts compared to corresponding
untreated control. Foliar application of 0.1% H2SO4 also
Effect of Foliar Sprays of Sulfuric Acid and Thiourea on Herbage and Seed Yield in Berseem (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.)
VOLUME 54 ISSUE 1 (2020) 37
recoded significant increase in plant height and tillers
plant-1 of berseem and oat over control. The increase in
growth parameters of berseem and oat with exogenous
application of thiourea might possibly be due to increased
translocation of sucrose metabolites from source to sink,
improved plant growth potential due to enhanced
photosynthetic efficiency, enhancement of cell division and
chlorophyll formation (Amin et al., 2014; Singh, 2015;
Anitha et al., 2006). Many researchers had also reported
positive effect of exogenous application of thiourea in
chickpea (Cicer arietinum), faba bean (Vicia faba), wheat
(Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) crops
(Dayanand et al., 2013; Amin et al., 2014; Pandey et al.,
2013; Singh, 2015). Exogenously applied thiourea also
imparts stress tolerance and has been reported to increase
the growth and development of plants when the conditions
are not favorable (Pandey et al., 2013) hence a favorable
effect of its application on growth and development of
berseem and oat had been observed in our study during
low temperature condition. Sharma and Jain (2003) and Jat
et al. (2014) also recorded positive effect of foliar application
of sulfuric acid (0.1%) on growth attributes of Indian mustard
(Brassica juncea) and chick pea under low temperature injury
in arid irrigated conditions.
Green fodder yield (GFY) and dry matter yield (DMY)
Production of greater forage and dry matter yield per hectare
is very important for the producers. Data manifested in Table 3
shows that intercrop mixtures and application of different
chemicals as foliar sprays had significant effect on the green
fodder yield (GFY) and dry matter yield (DMY) during various
cuts. Noticeable increase in green fodder and dry matter
yield was obtained in 1st, 2nd and 3rd cuts in berseem + oat
intercrop over berseem pure stand where as in the 4th cut
both these parameters were at par with each other. Highest
green fodder and dry matter in 3rd cut was due to favorable
temperature for growth of the crops where as lower
temperature affected its growth in previous cuts. In respect
to total green fodder and dry matter yield, berseem + oat
mixture recorded significantly higher respective values by
7.0% and 6.1 % than pure stand of berseem (Table 3). The
benefits of intercropping berseem clover with cereal crops,
include increased total green fodder and dry matter yield,
improved forage quality (Ross et al., 2004), reduced fertilizer
requirements and increased subsequent crop yield (Dogra
and Dudeja, 1993). Mixture also leads to more efficient
absorption of nutrients from the soil, more interception of
light energy at different layers and finally more
photosynthetic rate, better translocation of photosynthates
Effect of Foliar Sprays of Sulfuric Acid and Thiourea on Herbage and Seed Yield in Berseem (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.)
Table 1: Plant height (cm) and tillers plant-1 of berseem during different cuts under different foliar chemical sprays (average of two years).
Berseem
2nd cut 3rd cut 4th cut At harvest
Plant Tillers Plant Tillers Plant Tillers Plant Tillers
height (cm) plant-1 height (cm) plant-1 height (cm) plant-1 height (cm) plant-1
Mixture
Berseem Pure 53.8 7.21 65.7 8.32 65.0 9.50 55.0 10.1
Berseem + oat mixture 52.6 6.82 62.5 8.00 66.3 8.75 56.0 9.2
LSD (p=0.05) NS NS 2.2 0.31 NS 0.62 NS 0.8
Bio-regulators
Control 49.5 6.31 60.3 7.30 62.7 8.11 52.7 8.1
H2SO4 0.05% 52.2 6.81 62.6 8.00 65.6 8.73 54.5 9.3
H2SO4 0.1% 53.7 6.93 64.2 8.21 66.6 8.97 55.2 9.7
TU 0.05% 56.6 7.81 67.9 8.91 67.5 10.21 58.0 11.0
TU 0.1% 54.0 7.23 65.6 8.40 65.5 9.60 57.6 10.3
LSD (p=0.05) 1.9 0.62 3.5 0.49 2.0 0.98 2.6 1.2
Table 2: Plant height (cm) and tillers plant-1 of oat during second and third cut under different foliar chemical sprays (average of two years).
Oats
Bio-regulators 2nd cut 3rd cut
Plant height (cm) Tillers plant-1 Plant height(cm) Tillers plant-1
Control 37.5 4.3 32.5 3.0
H2SO4 0.05% 40.7 4.6 35.1 3.2
H2SO4 0.1% 41.8 4.7 37.4 3.4
TU 0.05% 44.3 5.1 40.8 4.2
TU 0.1% 43.8 4.7 38.9 3.9
LSD (p=0.05) 4.1 0.3 3.0 0.4
Treatments
Indian Journal of Agricultural Research
38
from source to sink leading to higher green fodder and dry
matter yield.
Foliar sprays of different bio-regulators on crop
significantly affected green fodder and dry matter yield during
(Table 3). Among different chemical foliar treatments, foliar
sprays of thiourea and H2SO4 recorded significantly higher
green fodder and dry matter yield than control. Foliar spray
of 0.05% thiourea on crop recorded 11.2%, whereas dilute
sulfuric acid at 0.05 and 0.1% led to 5.2 and 8.0% increase
in green fodder yield over control. The increase in green
fodder yield with foliar application of 0.1% TU was less
compared to 0.05% TU but was significantly better than
control. Similarly, highest total dry matter yield with foliar
sprays of 0.05% TU was significantly better than foliar sprays
of 0.05, 0.1% H2SO4 and control. The increase in total DMY
with foliar sprays of 0.05% TU was to the tune of 11.4, 5.5
and 2.8% with respect to control, foliar sprays of 0.05% and
0.1% H2SO4, respectively. The increase in GFY and DMY in
2nd, 3rd and 4th cut as well as total with foliar sprays of different
bio-regulators may be attributed to enhanced growth of crop
in subsequent cuts after 1st cut due to maintenance of redox
state of the cell under stress conditions (Sharma and Jain,
2003; Anitha et al., 2006; Kumar et al., 2013). Singh (2015)
and Sharma and Jain (2003) also reported significant
improvement in the potato and mustard crop yield with foliar
application of 0.1% TU and concentrated H2SO4 (1.0 ml/L
water) over control due to crop protection from the low
temperature. Further, sulfhydryl compound play role in
improving dry matter partitioning and thus improve the
productivity. Garg et al. (2006) reported that thiourea (TU)
as foliar spray on the plant significantly improved plant
height, leaf area, dry matter production, net photosynthetic
rate and concentration of total chlorophyll and starch in the
leaves compared to control. The slight reduction in green
fodder and dry matter yield at higher concentration of TU
might be due to reduction in soluble protein in plants as
higher concentration stresses the plant as reported by Mani
et al. (2013).
Table 3: Green fodder (GFY) and dry matter yield (DMY) of berseem pure and berseem + oat mixture under different foliar chemical
sprays during different cuts (average of two years).
1st cut 2nd cut 3rd cut 4th cut Total GFY Total DMY
GFY DMY GFY DMY GFY DMY GFY DMY
(q ha-1)
Mixture
Berseem Pure 81.5 6.9 125.3 12.2 207.9 21.8 203.7 26.5 618.4 67.4
Berseem + oat mixture 94.7 8.1 142.8 14.0 221.8 23.3 201.8 26.2 661.1 71.5
LSD (p=0.05) 3.3 0.3 5.1 0.5 7.3 0.8 NS NS 10.8 1.2
Bio-regulators
Control 86.9 7.4 127.3 12.4 196.4 20.6 189.2 24.6 599.7 65.0
H2SO4 0.05% 85.9 7.3 131.2 12.8 213.0 22.4 201.1 26.2 631.1 68.6
H2SO4 0.1% 86.4 7.4 138.0 13.5 218.7 23.0 204.7 26.6 647.8 70.4
TU 0.05% 90.9 7.7 138.1 13.5 227.3 23.9 210.6 27.4 666.9 72.4
TU 0.1% 90.4 7.6 135.6 13.2 219.0 23.0 208.3 27.0 653.3 71.0
LSD (p=0.05) NS NS 8.0 0.8 11.5 1.2 9.2 1.1 17.1 1.9
Effect of Foliar Sprays of Sulfuric Acid and Thiourea on Herbage and Seed Yield in Berseem (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.)
Table 4: Crude protein content and crude protein yield of berseem pure and berseem + oat mixture under different foliar chemical sprays
(average of two years).
1st cut 2nd cut 3rd cut 4th cut Average Total
CP CPY CP CPY CP CPY CP CPY Crude protein CPY
(%) (q ha-1) (%) (q ha-1) (%) (q ha-1) (%) (q ha-1) content (%) (q ha-1)
Mixture
Berseem Pure 21.3 1.48 21.2 2.59 21.0 4.59 23.3 6.20 21.8 14.9
Berseem + oat mixture 18.4 1.50 19.8 2.75 21.2 4.95 23.5 6.18 20.7 15.4
LSD (p=0.05) 0.3 NS 0.5 0.14 NS 0.16 NS NS 0.60 0.3
Bio-regulators
Control 19.9 1.46 19.6 2.42 20.1 4.13 22.5 5.53 20.5 13.6
H2SO4 0.05% 20.0 1.46 20.0 2.56 21.1 4.73 23.0 6.03 21.0 14.8
H2SO4 0.1% 20.0 1.47 20.2 2.72 21.3 4.88 23.1 6.16 21.1 15.2
TU 0.05% 19.9 1.50 21.3 2.84 21.9 5.19 24.2 6.63 21.8 16.2
TU 0.1% 20.0 1.50 20.4 2.75 21.0 4.93 24.1 6.55 21.3 15.8
LSD (p=0.05) NS NS 0.8 0.22 0.9 0.25 0.80 0.32 0.7 0.6
Treatments
Treatments
VOLUME 54 ISSUE 1 (2020) 39
Crude protein (CP) content and crude protein yield (CPY)
Crude protein content and crude protein yield are important
parameters for determining the quality of the fodder produced.
Mixtures had significant effect on the protein content and
crude protein yield of the forage produced (Table 4). During
1st and 2nd cut pure berseem crop recorded significantly
higher protein content than berseem + oat mixture intercrop.
However, 3rd and 4th cut registered non significant differences
in respect to crude protein content which might be due to
low or no presence of oat crop in these cuts. Average crude
protein content in berseem pure crop was 5.3% higher than
berseem + oat mixed crop. With respect to crude protein
yield (CPY), berseem + oat mixture in 2nd and 3rd cut recorded
significantly more crude protein yield possibly due increase
in green fodder and dry matter yield (Table 3). Berseem +
oat mixture registered significant increase in total crude
protein yield by 3.4% over berseem pure stand. Zhang et
al. (2015) also advocated that forage intercropping (alfalfa+
rye grass) system exhibited higher DM and CP yields than
the sole alfalfa forage crop.
Foliar sprays of bio-regulators had also significant effect
on crude protein content and crude protein yield of green
fodder produced during different cuts (Table 4). Significant
improvement in crude protein content of fodder was recorded
with foliar sprays of 0.05% TU over foliar application of 0.05%
H2SO4 and control during 2nd, 3rd and 4th cut. Average crude
protein content was improved by 6.3% over control with foliar
application of 0.05% TU. Similarly crude protein yield (CPY)
was also influenced significantly with application of bio-
regulator. Highest CPY was obtained with foliar sprays of
0.05% TU during 2nd, 3rd and 4th cut and was found
statistically better than 0.05 and 0.1% H2SO4 and control.
With the 0.05% TU, 0.05 and 0.1% H2SO4 application,
increment in total CPY was 19.1%, 9.2% and 6.6% over
control. Pandey et al. (2013) also recorded 2.5% and 19%
increase in protein and oil content of TU treated mustard
plant over control due to increased total uptake of N P and
K from soil. Higher concentration of TU (0.1%) significantly
reduced crude protein content during 2nd and 3rd cut while
significant reduction in CPY with higher dose of TU was
recorded in 3rd cut only (Table 3). Mani et al. (2013) also
reported significant reduction in soluble protein in potato
plants treated with 1000 nM TU over 250 nM suggesting
higher concentration of TU stresses the plant due to low
transfer of photosyntheates in sink organ. However, in our
study average crude protein content and total CPY were
found to be statistically similar with foliar sprays of 0.05%
and 0.1% TU.
Yield attributes and berseem seed yield: In our study,
fodder mixture and bio-regulators influenced berseem
yield attributes, biological yield and seed yield significantly
(Table 5). Considerably higher numbers of pod plant m-2,
1000-grain weight, biological yield, seed yield and harvest
index were recorded in berseem pure stand than berseem+
oat intercrop mixture. Increase in pods m-2 was by 4.4%
while 1000-grain weight was improved by 7.2% in berseem
pure crop over mixture. Pure stand of berseem recorded
7.9% higher biological yield than mixed berseem and oat.
Seed yield is important criterion for realizing better return in
any crop. In our study, seed yield of berseem was
significantly improved in berseem pure stand than berseem+
oat mixture crop (Table 5) possibly due to better plant stand.
The results were in line with Shoaib et al. (2013) who
reported that higher yield production of Egyptian clover at
each growth stage was due to sufficient berseem plant size
at first cut that ensured more reserves stored in lower part
of the plant that helped high re-growth as compared to
Egyptian clover in mixture. Harvest index was significantly
superior in berseem pure stand than berseem + oat mixture
(Table 5) possibly due to higher biological and seed yield
because of better growth of plants.
Different foliar treatments of thiourea and dilute sulfuric
acid recorded significantly more berseem pods m-2, seeds
pod-1, 1000-grain weight, biological yield and seed yield over
control (Table 5). Application of H2SO4 and TU increased
the mean head density by 7.7-14.4% over the control
treatment. The highest heads m-2 were recorded with foliar
application of 0.05% TU which was statistically not different
from H2SO4 and TU (0.1%) but significantly better than H2SO4
0.05% and control. Jat et al. (2014) also reported significant
Effect of Foliar Sprays of Sulfuric Acid and Thiourea on Herbage and Seed Yield in Berseem (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.)
Table 5: Yield attributes and seed yield of berseem under different mixture and foliar chemical sprays (average of two years).
Treatments Pods m-2 Seeds 1000-grain Biological yield Seed yield Harvest
pod-1 weight (gm) (q ha-1) (q ha-1) index
Mixture
Berseem Pure 331.4 47.2 2.68 60.0 8.91 14.9
Berseem + oat 317.2 45.7 2.50 55.6 7.92 14.3
LSD (p=0.05) 9.6 NS 0.08 2.1 0.4 0.4
Bio-regulators
Control 298.8 42.1 2.51 50.0 7.45 14.9
H2SO4 0.05% 321.8 45.6 2.54 55.9 8.17 14.7
H2SO4 0.1% 328.0 47.1 2.60 58.6 8.71 14.9
Thiourea 0.05% 341.9 50.1 2.70 64.0 9.05 14.2
Thiourea 0.1% 331.0 47.4 2.63 61.0 8.73 14.3
LSD (p=0.05) 15.2 4.7 0.12 3.4 0.6 NS
Indian Journal of Agricultural Research
40
Effect of Foliar Sprays of Sulfuric Acid and Thiourea on Herbage and Seed Yield in Berseem (Trifolium Alexandrinum L.)
Table 6: Growth parameters, fodder yield, crude protein content, yield attributes and berseem seed yield during different years (data pooled across intercrops mixture and foliar treatments).
Berseem Berseem Green Dry Average Total Pods Seeds 1000 Biological Seed Harvest
plant tillers Fodder Matter Crude Crude m-2 pod-1 -grain yield yield Index
Year height at plant-1 at Yield Yield protein Protein weight (q ha-1) (q ha-1)
harvest harvest (q ha-1) (q ha-1) content Yield (gm)
(cm) (%) (q ha-1)
First 55.6 9.68 640.0 69.5 21.2 15.3 324.3 46.4 2.49 57.9 8.42 14.6
Second 53.5 9.20 614.0 61.7 20.6 14.2 296.7 44.6 2.40 55.7 7.89 14.2
LSD (p=0.05) 1.1 0.50 7.2 2.2 0.4 0.3 6.4 NS NS 1.8 0.3 0.3
improvement in pods plant-1 with foliar sprays of H2SO4 on
chickpea during low temperature conditions. All the foliage
applied bio-regulators recorded significantly higher numbers
of seeds head-1 (except 0.05% H2SO4) than control. Foliar
application of 0.1% TU and 0.1% H2SO4 produced 19.0%
and 11.9% more seeds head-1 than control. Latha and
Nadanassababady (2003) also reviewed that two foliar
sprays of 0.1% sulfuric acid and Thiourea at 45 days after
sowing and 15 days after first spray significantly improved
the yield attributes of mustard. Thousand-seed weight was
significantly higher with the foliar sprays of the TU 0.05%
compared to the control. Thiourea application caused 4.8%-
7.8% increase in thousand-grain weight of the berseem
(Table 5). Sulfuric acid foliar application caused little increase
in 1000-grain weight, but differences were insignificant. The
increase in translocation of photosyntheates to the plant
and further to seed under foliar sprays of Thiourea as
reported by Pandey et al. (2013) might be responsible for
increasing the 1000-seed weight in our study. Increase in
biological yield (seed + straw) was recorded with foliar sprays
of different bio-regulators (Table 5). Maximum biological yield
of 64.0 q ha-1 was recorded in 0.05% TU treated plants
followed by 0.1% TU treated plants. The increase in
biological yield with 0.05% was to the tune of 28% over
control possibly due to better growth and development of
the crop as apparent by increased plant height and tillers
plant-1 (Table 1). Further, foliar sprays of sulfuric acid (0.05
and 0.1%) caused significant improvement in biological yield
over control. As earlier discussed that sulfhydryl compound
from H2SO4 and TU helps in improving plant height, leaf
area, net photosynthetic rates, concentration of total
chlorophyll and starch in the leaves enhancing dry matter
partitioning and thus improving the productivity (Garg et al.,
2006; Dayanand et al., 2013; Kumar et al., 2013).
Yield is expression of various morphological,
physiological and growth parameters in crop. Foliar sprays
of dilute sulfuric acid and TU at different concentrations led
to improvement in the seed yield of berseem over control.
Maximum increase in berseem seed yield was observed
under the foliar sprays of 0.05% TU which was 21.4% more
than control followed by foliar sprays of 0.1% TU (17.1%).
Foliar sprays of H2SO4 (0.05 and 0.1%) helped to increase
the seed yield ranging from 9.6-16.9% over control. Singh
(2015) also recorded that foliar application of concentrated
H2SO4 @ 1.0 ml/L of water and 0.1% TU not only protected
the potato crop from frost injury but also led to 11.1 and
15.8% increase in the tuber yield. Increase in seed yield of
berseem in our study might be due to enhanced growth and
tillering of the crops after the foliar application these bio-
regulators (Table 1). Higher growth and development in
terms of height and tillering under TU treatment at 2nd cut
might had resulted in more food reserves leading to better
growth during subsequent cuts and finally in seed yield of
berseem. TU can save cells from harm and maintain their
structure during stress condition which in turn can lead to
more absorption and translocation of minerals from the soil
VOLUME 54 ISSUE 1 (2020) 41
to the plants (Anitha et al., 2006; Pandey et al., 2013; Kumar
et al., 2013). Accumulation of more nutrients and reserves
in the plant might be responsible for good and healthy plants
in later cuts resulting more seeds yield. Higher concentration
TU (0.1%) recorded slight decrease in seed yield of berseem
than lower concentration (0.05%) possibly due to
suppressing of water and mineral absorption by the roots
(Mani et al., 2013). Foliar application of different bio-
regulators did not have any significant effect on the harvest
index.
Year’s effect
Berseem plant height and tillers differed significantly during
the year 2009-10 and 2010-11 (Table 6). Significantly taller
and with more tillering capacity berseem plants were
recorded during first year study than second. Yadav (2010)
also reviewed that cold conditions generally results in
stunted growth and reduced tillering in the crops. Similarly,
more green fodder yield and dry matter yield was recorded
during the year 2009-10 over 2010-11 possibly due to
suitable climatic conditions during the first year. As frost
occurred for 26 days during the 2010-11, might impeded
the growth of plant as evidenced by height and tillers of
berseem at harvest resulted in lower generation of
photosyntheates causing low green fodder and dry matter
yield. Average crude protein content and total crude protein
yield was also significantly low during second year of study.
Yadav (2010) also advocated that exposure of the plant to
the cold stress causes reduction and impairing of
photosynthesis, reduction in protein synthesis and general
metabolic process. Significantly higher numbers of pods m-2
were recorded in 2009-10 probably due to more growth and
tillering of plants due to normal weather conditions. Seeds
pod-1 and 1000 grain weight was statistically similar during
the both years of study. Biological yield and seed yield
recorded 3.9% and 6.7% increase during first year of study
than the year 2010-11 possibly due to lesser occurrence of
frost days during that year. Kumar et al. (2013) also reported
that temperature and rainfall can influence deposition of
photosyntheates in the seeds resulting variation in berseem
seed production. Harvest index was significantly more during
first year of study due to production of more biomass by the
crop.
CONCLUSION
The results obtained in the present study showed that
mixture of berseem and oat resulted in higher green fodder
yield and dry matter yield than berseem pure stand. During
harsh winter months when very low minimum air temperature
or frost injury occurs, two foliar sprays of thiourea at 0.05%
at weekly interval 10 days after 1st and 2nd cut is promising
in enhancing green fodder and seed yield of berseem grown
in pure stand and in mixture with oat. Foliar application of
TU resulted in 11.2% and 21.4% increase in green fodder
yield and seed yield of berseem. The use of TU as bio-
regulatory compounds thus opens up a new avenue for
increasing green fodder and seed yield improving the fodder
availability for the livestock around the world.
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