Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Maragheh, Iran
10.22067/ijpr.2026.101450.1148
Abstract
Introduction: Rainfed chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important legumes in the cold dryland regions of Iran, playing a key role in crop rotation and food security due to its nitrogen-fixing ability and adaptation to dry conditions. However, its yield under dryland conditions is lower than its actual potential due to moisture limitation, low temperatures during early growth stages, and nutrient deficiency. Foliar application of nutrients, as a complementary approach to plant nutrition, can mitigate the effects of environmental stresses by rapidly supplying nutrients during critical growth stages; however, its effectiveness depends on the timing of application and the type of compound used. This study was conducted to evaluate the response of rainfed chickpea to foliar application of different organic and chemical compounds under dryland conditions.
Materials and Methods: The experiment was carried out at the Dryland Agricultural Research Institute of Iran (Maragheh) during two growing seasons (2024–2025 and 2025–2026). In the first year, the experiment was conducted as a split-plot arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications, in which the timing of foliar application at three levels (vegetative, flowering, and vegetative + flowering stages) was assigned to the main plots, and the type of foliar application at six levels (urea + zinc sulfate, potassium phosphite, amino acid, humic acid, seaweed extract, and control) was assigned to the subplots. In the second year, due to logistical constraints, foliar application was performed only at the vegetative stage, and the experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with three replications. Chickpea cultivar Anna was sown at a density of 40 plants m⁻², and traits including dry matter yield, grain yield, plant height, 100-grain weight, harvest index, and rainfall use efficiency
were measured. Economic indices including change in grain yield (ΔGY), added gross revenue (ΔGR), incremental variable cost (IVC), incremental net benefit (INB), and marginal benefit-cost ratio (MBCR) were also calculated.
Results and Discussion: The results of analysis of variance in the first year showed that the timing of foliar application had a significant effect on dry matter yield, grain yield, plant height, and rainfall use efficiency, while the effect of the type of foliar application was significant only for dry matter yield, and the interaction between timing and type of foliar application was not significant for any of the studied traits. Foliar application at the vegetative stage resulted in the highest dry matter yield (1805 kg ha⁻¹), grain yield (731 kg ha⁻¹), and rainfall use efficiency (2.1 kg ha-1 mm⁻¹), and was significantly superior to the flowering and vegetative + flowering stages. Among the foliar application treatments, humic acid showed the lowest dry matter yield (1497 kg ha⁻¹), and the other treatments did not differ significantly from each other. The combined analysis of variance over two years showed that the effect of year was significant for all traits except harvest index, such that grain yield in the second year (855 kg ha⁻¹) was significantly higher than in the first year (731 kg ha⁻¹). In contrast, rain rainfall use efficiency in the first year (2.1 kg ha-1 mm⁻¹) was significantly higher than in the second year (1.8 kg ha-1 mm⁻¹), indicating that the plant used limited water more efficiently under drier conditions. The effect of the type of foliar application was significant for grain yield, plant height, and rainfall use efficiency, and the amino acid and urea + zinc sulfate treatments with a grain yield of 873 kg ha⁻¹ were superior to the control (744 kg ha⁻¹) and other treatments. The results of the economic analysis showed that at the vegetative stage, the amino acid treatment with MBCR values of 12.5 and 8.5, and the urea + zinc sulfate treatment with MBCR values of 8.5 and 7.1, were the most profitable options in both years. In contrast, humic acid and seaweed extract showed unstable profitability, and potassium phosphite had a low MBCR. The vegetative + flowering stage, due to approximately double the variable cost and its lack of compensation through increased yield, was not economically justified for any of the treatments.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that under cold dryland conditions of Maragheh, foliar application at the vegetative stage is more effective than at the flowering or vegetative + flowering stages, and the amino acid (2 g L-1) and urea (3%) combined with zinc sulfate (3 g L-1) treatments, due to their significant increase in grain yield and rain water use efficiency and stable profitability over two years, are recommended as the best management options. In contrast, the application of humic acid, seaweed extract, and potassium phosphite is not recommended under these conditions.
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