Integrated nutrient management in litchi cv Bombai in new alluvial zone of West Bengal

Abstract

The study with organic manures and biofertilizers with or without chemical fertilizer combinations was conducted on litchi cv. Bombai. Results revealed that different combinations involving the use of organic nutrition to reduce the chemical fertilizers and had significant effect on yield, fruit quality and leaf mineral content. The treatment consisting of 50 kg/tree FYM + 150 g Azotobacter + 100 g VAM + 500 g N : 250 g P2O5 : 500 g K2O/tree/year through fertilizer showed maximum yield (98.72 kg/plant) and also have a significant improvement in terms of TSS, total sugars, ascorbic acid, TSS : acid ratio, fruit weight and fruit size. This treatment also recorded maximum leaf N and K content with maximum (8.3 × 106 cfu g-1 soil) microbial population in rhizophere soil of litchi orchard. Treatment with only organic manure and biofertilizers also resulted in improvement in fruit quality over application of only chemical fertilizer but had less effect on productivity. Fruits under application of organic manures and biofertilizer recorded maximum (22.45 mg/100 g peel) anothocyanin content over other treatments.