Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Prolonged and excessive use of chemical fertilizers has resulted in serious harm to soil health and ecosystems. This study aimed to reduce the cultivation costs for apricot trees, nearly 1/3rd of which are spent on fertilizers. The research was conducted on fully grown apricot trees of the cultivar...

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Main Authors: Anshul Kumar, DD Sharma, DP Sharma, Bunty Shylla, Upender Singh, Pramod Verma, Muntazir Mushtaq, Neeraj Singh Parihar, Owais Ali Wani, Ryan Casini, Khalid F. Almutairi, Hosam O. Elansary
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:International Journal of Fruit Science
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15538362.2023.2273356
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author Anshul Kumar
DD Sharma
DP Sharma
Bunty Shylla
Upender Singh
Pramod Verma
Muntazir Mushtaq
Neeraj Singh Parihar
Owais Ali Wani
Ryan Casini
Khalid F. Almutairi
Hosam O. Elansary
author_facet Anshul Kumar
DD Sharma
DP Sharma
Bunty Shylla
Upender Singh
Pramod Verma
Muntazir Mushtaq
Neeraj Singh Parihar
Owais Ali Wani
Ryan Casini
Khalid F. Almutairi
Hosam O. Elansary
author_sort Anshul Kumar
collection DOAJ
description Prolonged and excessive use of chemical fertilizers has resulted in serious harm to soil health and ecosystems. This study aimed to reduce the cultivation costs for apricot trees, nearly 1/3rd of which are spent on fertilizers. The research was conducted on fully grown apricot trees of the cultivar “New Castle,” in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The experiment consisted of fourteen treatment combinations evaluated in triplicate and statistically analyzed using a randomized block design (RBD). Results revealed that treatment T12 [50% Nitrogen (Calcium Nitrate) + 50% Nitrogen (Urea) + Azotobacter + Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria + Vermicompost] resulted in the highest percent increase in tree trunk girth (6.82%), highest leaf chlorophyll content (3.00 mg g−1 fresh weight), leaf area (58.29 cm), fruit set (61.00%) and total yield (61.9 kg tree−1). In terms of nutrient status, T12 had the highest leaf N (2.95%), leaf K (2.60%), soil N (386.33 kg ha−1), soil P (51.00 kg ha−1) and soil organic carbon (1.81%). The highest net return and profit over recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) was also recorded in treatment T12. The results of this study show that judicious fertilizer use along with integrated organic manure and bio-fertilizers can reduce cultivation costs, improve soil health, and increase fruit production with minimum ecosystem damage.
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series International Journal of Fruit Science
spelling doaj-art-30e6aab0480e49d19d3bfda0a4924eb12024-12-16T07:35:14ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Fruit Science1553-83621553-86212024-12-01241183210.1080/15538362.2023.2273356Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)Anshul Kumar0DD Sharma1DP Sharma2Bunty Shylla3Upender Singh4Pramod Verma5Muntazir Mushtaq6Neeraj Singh Parihar7Owais Ali Wani8Ryan Casini9Khalid F. Almutairi10Hosam O. Elansary11Department of Fruit Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, IndiaDepartment of Fruit Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, IndiaDepartment of Fruit Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, IndiaDepartment of Fruit Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, IndiaMS Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Shoolini University, Solan, HP, IndiaDepartment of Fruit Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, IndiaDepartment of Soil Science and Water Management, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, IndiaDepartment of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, IndiaDepartment of Soil Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, IndiaSchool of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USADepartment of Plant Production, College of Food & Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Plant Production, College of Food & Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaProlonged and excessive use of chemical fertilizers has resulted in serious harm to soil health and ecosystems. This study aimed to reduce the cultivation costs for apricot trees, nearly 1/3rd of which are spent on fertilizers. The research was conducted on fully grown apricot trees of the cultivar “New Castle,” in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The experiment consisted of fourteen treatment combinations evaluated in triplicate and statistically analyzed using a randomized block design (RBD). Results revealed that treatment T12 [50% Nitrogen (Calcium Nitrate) + 50% Nitrogen (Urea) + Azotobacter + Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria + Vermicompost] resulted in the highest percent increase in tree trunk girth (6.82%), highest leaf chlorophyll content (3.00 mg g−1 fresh weight), leaf area (58.29 cm), fruit set (61.00%) and total yield (61.9 kg tree−1). In terms of nutrient status, T12 had the highest leaf N (2.95%), leaf K (2.60%), soil N (386.33 kg ha−1), soil P (51.00 kg ha−1) and soil organic carbon (1.81%). The highest net return and profit over recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) was also recorded in treatment T12. The results of this study show that judicious fertilizer use along with integrated organic manure and bio-fertilizers can reduce cultivation costs, improve soil health, and increase fruit production with minimum ecosystem damage.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15538362.2023.2273356Integrated nutrient managementapricotlow-costAzotobacterphosphate solubilizing bacteriavermicompost
spellingShingle Anshul Kumar
DD Sharma
DP Sharma
Bunty Shylla
Upender Singh
Pramod Verma
Muntazir Mushtaq
Neeraj Singh Parihar
Owais Ali Wani
Ryan Casini
Khalid F. Almutairi
Hosam O. Elansary
Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)
International Journal of Fruit Science
Integrated nutrient management
apricot
low-cost
Azotobacter
phosphate solubilizing bacteria
vermicompost
title Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)
title_full Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)
title_fullStr Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)
title_full_unstemmed Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)
title_short Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)
title_sort integrated nutrient management as a low cost and eco friendly strategy for sustainable fruit production in apricot prunus armeniaca l
topic Integrated nutrient management
apricot
low-cost
Azotobacter
phosphate solubilizing bacteria
vermicompost
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15538362.2023.2273356
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