Effects of Boron and Zinc Micronutrients on the Fruit Set Rate and Seed Yield of Sacha Inchi Grown in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

    Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) is a seed crop with high nutritional content, with oil accounting for (52-53) % of the kernel weight. The oil contains 45.7 % omega-3, 44.19 % omega-6, and 0.63 % omega-9. The Sacha inchi flowers continuously throughout the year, with each flower cluster having over 32 female flowers and hundreds of male flowers. However, each cluster only produces 2.04 fruits on average (with a fruit set rate of only 6.23 %), and no effective method to increase the fruit set rate of this plant has been published. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of the Boron (B) and Zinc (Zn) micronutrients on improving fruit set and seed yield in Sacha inchi. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) at the experimental Sacha inchi garden of the Institute of Research and Development of Advanced Agricultural Biology in Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City. The study results indicated that the application of B and Zn, either individually or in combination (Zn + B), increased the fruit set rate and seed yield of Sacha inchi. The highest fruit set rate was achieved with the combined application of Zn 0.1 % and B 0.05 %, reaching 12.20 %, an increase of 1.83 times, and the highest yield in the first seed harvest was 3.93 tons/ha, a 2.05-fold increase compared to the control. The results have helped overcome the poor fruit set issue in Sacha inchi, contributing to improving the cultivation process for higher yields.