Influence of nutrient application on growth and yield of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. Camarosa in Kymore Plateau

Introduction

Strawberry is a highly valued, soft fruit and major global cash crop. It is an herbaceous perennial plant with a shallow root system belonging to the Rosaceae family (Yadav et al, 2010) [18] . While strawberries are predominantly grown in temperate zones, day-neutral cultivars have made it possible to cultivate them in subtropical and tropical climates as well. Optimal growth requires a day temperature of around 24 °C and a night temperature below 10 °C. During blossom development, strawberries need a photoperiod of 8 to 12 hours for approximately 10 days (Samad et al, 2021) [14] . The fruit is notably soft, small, and highly perishable, with a remarkable 98% of the fruit being edible. It is consumed fresh and are also utilized in the production of jams, squashes, ice cream, syrups, ready-to-serve products, cosmetics, and confectionery (Sharma and Sharma, 2003) [17] . In India, the total area and production of strawberry were 2420 hectares and 18870 MT, respectively (Anonymous, 2022-23) [4] . Nutritional status is crucial for the growth, yield, and quality of strawberries, which are highly sensitive to nutrient balance (Maurya et al. 2017) [11] . Macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are essential for plant growth and development, significantly impacting various physiological and morphological processes (Ali et al, 2023) [3] . Fertilizer plays an important role in maintaining soil fertility as well as proper nutrient management, enhancing nutrient response efficiency, maintaining an ideal C: N ratio and maximizing crop productivity to the desired quality. (Barooah and Datta, 2020) [6] . There is increasing interest in using water-soluble fertilizers for foliar feeding to boost nutrient absorption, reduce pollution, and increase utilization. Foliar application can be up to 20 times more effective than soil application (Lodhi, 2022) [10] . Nitrogen is essential for cell division, photosynthesis, and nutrient absorption, and promotes vegetative growth, yield, and fruit firmness (Bai et al, 2023) [5] . Phosphorus is vital for cell formation, photosynthesis, and energy storage, and supports root development, stem elongation, flower production, and fruit size (Ahmad et al, 2017) [1] . Potassium is crucial for protein and sugar production, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and disease resistance. It enhances growth, yield, and quality of strawberry fruits (Maurya et al, 2017) [11] . These macronutrients play critical roles in strawberry development, and their deficiency can impact yield and quality. This study aims to optimize NPK fertilizers and assess their impact on different growth stages to increase the yield of strawberry cv "Camarosa" while reducing costs.

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted at the new nursery, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Adhartal, Jabalpur during winter season of 2023-24 with a view to evaluating the influence of nutrient application on growth and yield of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv Camarosa in Kymore Plateau. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with eleven treatments and three replications. The treatments details were: T . Tissue cultured plants were transplanted into each hole of polythene mulch at a 60 cm × 30 cm distance. Fertilizers were applied in the field through soil (RDF-NPK @80:40:40 kg/ha) and foliar applications as per the combination of treatments. All water-soluble fertilizers were applied at the rate of 0.5% in three intervals for all treatments. The observations with regards to the growth and yield was recorded from the randomly selected tagged plants and analysed using the OPSTAT statistical package.

Result and Discussion

Soil application of RDF at transplanting time and foliar sprays of NPK resulted in significant increase in growth and yield of strawberry under different treatments (Table 1). Maximum plant height (18 cm) and trifoliate leaves per plant (35.93), plant spread (33.63 cm east-west and 32.69 cm north-south direction), leaf length (11.60 cm), leaf width (13.97 cm) and leaf area (113.27 cm 2 ) was recorded in T 2 [NPK 50% (Soil application) + 1 st , 2 nd & 3 rd Spray of 19:19:19 at 45, 60 & 75 DAT] at 75 DAT. Foliar spray of the nutrient especially nitrogen showed increased vegetative growth of the plant system due to the acceleration of many physiological and metabolic processes including synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, coenzymes, secondary metabolic products, enzyme activation, osmotic regulation, respiration and photosynthesis. These results are in confirmation with the findings of Sampada (2018) [15] , Santos and Chandler (2009) [16] and Dixit et al. (2023) [8] . Application of RDF and foliar sprays of NPK showed significant differences in flowering, and fruit growth and development (Table 2). The minimum days to first flower initiation (43.51) was recorded in T 1 [Control 100% RDF-Soil application (NPK-80:40:40 kg/ha)]. The reason for the earlier flowering of plants treated with 100% RDF in the soil could be attributed to the positive impact of phosphorous on early flower development. It boosts growth of reproductive organs, encourages flowering and fruit production. The current results aligned with Gill et al. (1974) [9] . Minimum days to 50 % flowering (62.00) was recorded in T 4 [NPK 50% (Soil application) + 1 st Spray of 19:19:19 at 45 DAT, 2 nd Spray of 0:52:34 at 60 DAT, 3 rd Spray of 0:0:50 at 75 DAT]. The decreased time to reach 50% flowering could be attributed to the efficient use of NPK water soluble fertilizers, which contain increased amount of phosphorus which works to decrease flowering time by spraying on the leaves, thereby promoting robust plant growth and faster formation of flower buds. Similar findings were also reported by Sampada (2018) [15] and Narayan et al, (2012) [12] . Foliar application of phosphorus, especially during flowering stage, increased the number of flowers per plant. Treatment T 5 [NPK 50% (Soil application) +1 st Spray of 19:19:19 at 45 DAT, 2 nd Spray of 0:52:34 at 60 DAT, 3 rd Spray of 13:0:45 at 75 DAT] recorded maximum number of flowers (45.00). This could be a result of improved cytokinin synthesis from optimal levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to an increased number of flowers. These findings are in conformity with results of Premsekhar and Rajashree, 2009 [13] . The highest (32.94) fruits per plant of was recorded in the treatment T 5 that received NPK 50% (Soil application) + 1 st Spray of 19:19:19 at 45 DAT, 2 nd Spray of 0:52:34 at 60 DAT, 3 rd Spray of 13:0:45 at 75 DAT. An increased supply of NPK nutrients throughout crucial stages of growth might be the cause of the increase in fruits per plant. A higher amount of N and P at the optimal cytokinin synthesis level might have produced a more favourable sink to produce more fruitful blooms, which in turn might have contributed to the production of more fruit per plant. These findings are conformity with results of Ahmad et al, (2017) [1] and Ali et al, (2023) [3] Premsekhar and Rajashree (2009) [13] , Dixit et al, (2023) [8] . The maximum fruit length (22.40 mm), fruit diameter (18.40 mm), fruit weight (21.33 g) and fruit volume (28.33 ml) was recorded in T 5 [NPK 50% (Soil application) + 1 st Spray of 19:19:19 at 45 DAT, 2 nd Spray of 0:52:34 at 60 DAT, 3 rd Spray of 13:0:45 at 75 DAT]. There is a higher demand for K as the plant grows, therefore, by supplying enough foliar application of K to the strawberry plants, water efficiency is enhanced through increased osmotic pressure in cells, resulting in greater turgidity and increase fruits in terms of length, diameter, volume, and weight. Results are in collaboration with Ali et al, (2023) [3] , Dixit et al, (2023) [8] and Maurya et al, (2017) [11] . The influence of nutrient application showed significant effects on yield attributes (Table 3). Treatment T 5 , which received NPK 50% (Soil application) + 1 st Spray of 19:19:19 at 45 DAT, 2 nd Spray of 0:52:34 at 60 DAT, 3 rd Spray of 13:0:45 at 75 DAT recorded maximum fruit yield per plant (305.27 g) and fruit yield per hectare (169.59 q). It was also concluded that 50% RDF application in soil and foliar application of water-soluble fertilizers increased the fruit yield per hectare. It is possible that this is a result of an enhanced absorption of nutrients and improved efficiency of photosynthesis, leading to the accumulation of food in the edible portions. Similar findings were reported by Maurya et al, (2017) [11] , Narayan et al, (2012) [12] and Dixit et al, (2023) [8] . The influence of nutrient application showed significant effects on economics of cultivation (Table 3). Treatment T 5 [NPK 50% (Soil application) + 1 st Spray of 19:19:19 at 45 DAT, 2 nd Spray of 0:52:34 at 60 DAT, 3 rd Spray of 13:0:45 at 75 DAT] produced the highest gross return (33,91,817.93 ₹/ha), net return (27,58,527.89 ₹/ha) and B:C ratio (4.36). The application of NPK foliar spray enhances the utilization of nutrients by plants, reducing nutrient losses caused by leaching and volatilization. As a result, the yield and quality of fruits improves (Narayan et al, 2012) [12] . It was also concluded that 50% RDF application in soil and foliar application of water-soluble fertilizers increased the fruit yield per hectare, which in turn led to higher gross returns and net return as well as a higher benefit to cost ratio. Similar findings were also reported by Chaurasia et al, (2005) [7] , Dixit et al, (2023) [8] , Ajeet et al, (2023) [2] , Premsekhar and Rajashree, (2009) [13] and Kumar et al, (2017) [11] .

Conclusion

In conclusion, the results of the present investigation showed that the application of NPK fertilizers with soil and foliar application had a significant impact on various aspects of vegetative growth and yield attributes. Among the treatments studied, T

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgmentThe authors express their gratitude to Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur for providing the necessary facilities.

References

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