Effect of boron application on yield and quality of tomato grown on alkaline calcareous soils.

For the successful and economic production of tomato, it is necessary to give emphasis on the use of micronutrients along with the application of major nutrients. Balanced fertilization, thus, is helpful for obtaining sustainable production so also to improve the quality of produce. Boron is known to reduce the cracking of fruits in tomato. The quality of crops is also influenced due to boron and the timely application of boron helps in increasing the size of fruits as well as firmness. Tomato crop is responsive to foliar application of nutrients especially during critical stages. This method provides for utilization of nutrients more efficiently and for correcting the deficiencies rapidly (Palaniappan et al., 1999). The effect of boron through application of foliar spray of highly soluble sodium borate viz., solubor and borax as well as soil application of borax was studied by conducting a field experiment to ascertain the influence on yield and quality of tomato.