Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2019) 8(1): 2506-2516 2506 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2019.801.265 Effect of Lime and Boron on Growth and Yield of Sprouting Broccoli under Sub-Himalayan Foot Hills of West Bengal, India Riman Saha Chowdhury*, Monika Kumari, J.C. Jana, Shibnath Basfore and Subhamoy Sikder Department of Vegetable and Spice Crops, Faculty of Horticulture, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya (UBKV), Pundibari, Coochbehar-736165, West Bengal, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var italica L.) is one of the cole crops belonging to the family cruciferae. It is a binniel crop and originated from West Europe. Although originated from temperate region, it is well distributed to both the sub-tropical and tropical areas of India. Broccoli is nutritious vegetable which is fairly rich in vitamin A and C, and minerals namely, calcium, phosphorus and iron. So, it can contribute significantly to improve our diet. It is more nutritious than other cole crops such as cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi. Broccoli is grown by a small percentage of home gardens in India during the winter season. It is environmentally better adapted than cauliflower as reported to withstand comparatively higher temperature. The growth and yield of broccoli in India are International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 01 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com An experiment was conducted to determine the suitable combination of lime and boron during winter season months under terai region of West Bengal. The experiments were carried out at Instructional Farm, UBKV, Pundibari, Coochbehar during 2015-16. The experiment consisted of two levels of lime (0 and 450 kg/ha) and six levels of Boron (0kg/ha, 7.5 kg/ha, 15 kg/ha, 22.5 kg/ha, 30 kg/ha and 37.5 kg/ha). Each experiment was conducted in Asymmetrical factorial Randomized Block Design with 3 replications by using lime, boron and lime-boron interaction significantly that resulted increase in plant growth and yield as compared to the experiments conducted without lime, boron, and their interaction that is in control with the applicable dose of NPK. Similarly, the use of lime and boron significantly increased plant height and number of eaves by 18.04 % and 34.00 % respectively over the control. It was found that use of lime and boron @ 450 kg/ha and 7.5 kg/ha gave highest number of leaves (23), and use of lime and boron @ 450 kg/ha and 30 kg/ha gives maximum fresh weight (674.32 g) and head diameter (17.57 cm) in F1 hybrid Green Magic variety of sprouting broccoli. Combined use of lime (450 kg/ha) and boron (30 kg/ha) recorded 56.09 % higher yield (16.16 t/ha) over the control (5.93 t/ha). Keywords Boron, Lime, Sprouting broccoli Accepted: 17 December 2018 Available Online: 10 January 2019 Article Info