Evaluation of Two Different Methods of Fulvic Acid Application (Seed Priming and Foliar Spray) on Growth, Yield, and Nutritional Quality of Pea ( L.).

Pea is a commercially significant legume that is widely utilized worldwide and has a elevated amount of nutrition and bioactive components. Its consumption is attributed to a number of health benefits and its potential as a functional food. Fulvic acid can be used as a bio-stimulant to promote plant growth and increase nutrient availability and uptake. A field experiment was designed during two subsequent cropping seasons (i.e., 2022-23 and 2023-24) to evaluate the impact of two methods of fulvic acid application of seed priming and foliar spray on the growth, yield, antioxidant content, and nutritional value of pea ( L.) plants. The seeds were primed with fulvic acid at 1.5, 3 g L, and water, while a foliar spray of fulvic acid with the same doses was performed on the seedlings of non-primed seeds. The results obtained exhibited that the seed priming technique with fulvic acid outperformed the fulvic acid foliar applications. The increase in the fulvic acid dose to 3 g L in both application techniques exhibited the highest plant growth, heaviest fresh and dry weights, and highest green seed yield. The maximum growth parameters were recorded after the foliar spray treatment at a dose of 3 g L, as it led to improvement in the growth parameters, leaf pigments, and total carbohydrates. The highest number of seeds per pod, number of pods per plant, 100-seed weight, and seed yield were obtained by the seed priming technique. From the results obtained, it may be concluded that the application of fulvic acid at 3 g L via the seed priming technique is beneficial for enhancing the productivity of peas.