The continuous and excessive use of inorganic fertilizers as source of nutrients in imbalanced proportion to increase the fruit production has created serious problems, causing economic inefficiency, damage to the environment and in certain situations. Poor purchasing capacity and negative effect of chemical fertilizers on soil health has led to intensified attempts for the use of bio-fertilizers and organic matter beside inorganic fertilizers. These all factors have increased the interest of farmers in adopting the Integrated Nutrient Management for production of fruit crops. Thus, field experiment on effect of integrated nutrient management on quality of mango cv. Kesar was conducted during the years 2020-21 and 2021-22 at Regional Horticultural Research Station, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, (Gujarat). The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design which comprising seven treatments namely, T1: 100 % RDF (NPK+FYM), T2: 100 % NPK soil analysis basis, T3: T2 +100 kg FYM tree-1, T4: 75 % RDF + 25 % RDN (Biocompost), T5: 50 % RDF + 25 % RDN (Biocompost), T6: 75 % RDF + 25 % RDN (Neemcake), T7: 50 % RDF + 25 % RDN (Neemcake). All the seven treatments were repeated thrice. The results indicate that maximum TSS (18.53, 18.63 and 18.58 ºBrix), reducing sugars (6.53, 6.40 and 6.47 %), total sugar (15.20, 15.30 and 15.25 %), non-reducing sugars (7.66, 8.90, 8.80 %), ascorbic acid content (44.07, 45.13, 44.60 mg 100 g 1), β-carotene content (599.27, 575.53, 587.40 µg 100 g-1) and shelf-life (16.27, 18.47 and 17.37 days) as well as minimum acidity (0.256, 0.259, 0.258 %) with the application of 100 % NPK soil analysis basis + 100 kg FYM tree-1. It was at par with treatment T4 [75 % RDF + 25 % RDN (Biocompost)].

Nutrient management, neemcake, biocompost, biofertilizers

From the two years of field study, it can be concluded that soil application of 100 % NPK soil analysis basis + 100 kg FYM kg tree-1 can improved quality of fruit in mango cv. Kesar. However, T4 [75 % RDF + 25 % RDN (Biocompost)] also stood statistically equivalent with T3 in most of the quality parameters.

Z. K. Patel, R. V. Tank, N. B. Patel and J. J. Patel (2023). Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Quality of Mango cv. Kesar. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(8): 231-236.