Molybdenum fertilization effect on nodulation, yield and quality of green  gram grown in the soils of southern agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu, India

A pot experiment was conducted under natural condition with green gram (cultivar CO 6) using twenty bulk soil samples collected from major soil series of Southern agro–climatic zone of Tamil Nadu. Application of graded levels of molybdenum (Mo) at 0, 0.025, 0.050, 0.075 and 0.1 mg kg-1 positively influenced the yield, nodulation characteristics and nutritional quality of green gram crop. The highest number of nodules, dry weight nodules per plant, nodule N concentration and chlorophyll content of leaves were registered at 0.075 mg kg-1 level. Similarly, the seed and stover yield, uptake of N, P, K and Mo by green gram were also increased with molybdenum application up to 0.075 mg kg-1 level beyond which they declined. However, the amount of protein in seed significantly increased with increasing levels of Mo up to 0.1 mg kg-1 level in different soils. Hence, Mo application not only increased the yield but also enhanced the nutritional quality of green gram through effective nodulation.