In order to investigate the effect of micronutrients foliar application and irrigation regimes on black cumin, a field experiment was carried out in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Bojnord, Iran, in 2009. The experiment was conducted as split plots in randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications. Irrigation regime included: 7, 14 and 21-day irrigation intervals as main factor and sub-plots included micronutrients foliar application in five treatments: No-foliar application (control), Zn foliar application with concentration of 3‰, B foliar application with concentration of 2‰, Fe foliar application with concentration of 4‰, and mixture of the three elements. Results showed that the effect of irrigation regime on 1000-seed weight, seed yield, and the percentage and yield of essential oils was significant. By increasing the irrigation interval, all of the above mentioned traits were decreased, except the essential oils percentage that was increased. Also, micronutrients foliar application affected seed yield, Fe, Zn and B concentration, and the percentage and yield of essential oils. Interaction between irrigation regime and micronutrients foliar application on percentage of essential oils showed significant effects. Maximum seed yield was obtained from 7-day irrigation regime and foliar application with a mixture of the three elements. Besides, maximum essential oils percentage was observed in interaction of 21-day irrigation regime and foliar application with a mixture of the three elements. Therefore, it appears that foliar application of micronutrients, along with proper irrigation interval, increases the seed yield and qualitative traits in black cumin.

Keywords: Yield of essential oil, Micronutrients, Black cumin

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