Effect of Foliar Application of Ca and Zn Fertilizer Sources on Seed Yield and Fatty Acids Composition of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Oil

In order to evaluate the foliar application of Ca and Zn fertilizers on seed and fatty acids composition of peanut oil (cv. NC2), an experiment was conducted at the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Guilan Province, Rasht, Iran, during 2018 and 2019 cropping seasons.

This experiment was carried out as a split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Four levels of Zn fertilizer sources, including without Zn application (as control), nano-chelated Zn fertilizer, Zn-EDTA, and Zn sulfate were considered as the main plot and four levels of Ca fertilizer sources, including nano-chelated Ca fertilizer, Ca-EDTA, Ca-chloride and, Ca-nitrate were considered as the sub plot.

Foliar application of fertilizers was done before the flowering stage and then repeated with 30-days intervals. The highest seed yield (2790 kg/ha), biological yield (9303 kg/ha), seed oil content (52.3 percent), oil yield (1625 kg/ha), protein yield (673 kg/ha), and oleic unsaturated fatty acid (57.3 percent) was obtained under simultaneous foliar application of Ca and Zn nano-fertilizers and increased the parameters by 29.8, 17.5, 13.4, 38.3, 24.4 and 19.2 percent in comparison to control treatment, respectively.

Application of Zn and Ca nano-chelated fertilizers as foliar sprays improved seed and oil yield of peanut under the local conditions. Hence, the Zn and Ca nano-chelated fertilizers could be recommended to enhance the quantitative and qualitative yield of peanut.