Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2017) 6(5): 1471-1482 1471 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.605.160 Effect of Different Micronutrients on Turmeric Variety Suranjana in Terai Region of West Bengal, India S. Datta*, S. Chakraborty, J.C. Jana, A. Debnath, M.K. Roy and S. Haque Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Coochbehar, 736165, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is an important rhizomatous spice crop of India and World too. India is a leading producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world. India is the major producer and exporter of turmeric and earned a foreign exchange of 2000 million $ (Anonymous, 2012). Apart from its spice and medicinal value it is also used in the dye, food and cosmetic industries. It is also used in the auspicious religious occasions. Turmeric inhibits the development of cataracts, breast cancer, colon cancer, and lymphoma (Devi et al., 2011). In India it is cultivated with an area of 1.95 lakh hectare (ha) with a production of 9.99 lakh tonnes. In West Bengal, it is cultivated with an area of 15.8 thousand ha and production of 42 thousand tonnes. Productivity of turmeric in West Bengal is quite low (2.66 tones/ha) compared to national average (5.11 tones/ha). It is a soil exhausting crop and application of N, P and K are recommended for its cultivation. Normally micronutrients do not find a place in the nutrient recommendations. However, high rhizome yields in turmeric with increasing concentrations of foliar sprays of International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 5 (2017) pp. 1471-1482 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com An experiment was undertaken at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, West Bengal to study the effect of boron, iron, manganese and zinc on the growth and yield of turmeric during the year of 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2015-16. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Different treatments of the experiment were T 1 - control (no micronutrients), T 2 - soil application of boron (as borax) @ 25Kg ha -1 , T 3 - soil application of manganese (as MnSO 4 ) @ 25Kg ha -1 , T 4 - soil application of iron (as Fe 2 SO 4 ) @ 25Kg ha -1 , T 5 - soil application of zinc (as ZnSO 4 ) @ 25Kg ha -1 , T 6 - foliar spray of manganese (as MnSO 4 ) @ 0.5% after 60 and 90 days of planting, T 7 - foliar spray of iron (as Fe 2 SO 4 ) @ 0.5% after 60 and 90 days of planting, T 8 - foliar spray of boron (as borax) @ 0.5% after 60 and 90 days of planting and T 9 - foliar spray of zinc (as ZnSO 4 ) @ 0.5% after 60 and 90 days of planting. The results revealed that soil application of boron (as borax) @ 25Kg ha -1 ) gave the highest yield (11.13 kg/3 m 2 and 22.45 t/ha) which was also statistically at par with foliar spray of boron as borax @ 0.5% at 60 and 90 days after planting (10.59 kg/3 m 2 and 21.36 t/ha). The lowest yield (7.17 kg/3m 2 and 14.45 t/ha).was recorded in the control treatment (i.e. without micronutrient application). The highest cost benefit ratio (1: 2.04) was recorded with soil application of boron (as borax) @ 25Kg ha -1 followed by foliar spray of boron (1: 1.95) (as borax) @ 0.5% at 60 and 90 days after planting. Keywords Micronutrients, Boron, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Turmeric, Yield . Accepted: 17 April 2017 Available Online: 10 May 2017 Article Info