Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth, Yield and Quality of Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch ex Poir)

Introduction

Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch ex Poir.) is one of the most important cucurbitaceous vegetable crops belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae and is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is valued for its high nutritive, medicinal and economic importance. Pumpkin fruits are rich sources of carbohydrates, minerals, dietary fibre, carotenoids, antioxidants and vitamins, especially vitamin A and vitamin C, which play an important role in human nutrition and health. The crop is extensively used for fresh consumption, culinary preparations, processing industries and seed extraction. Owing to its wide adaptability and high productivity, pumpkin occupies an important position among vegetable crops cultivated in India. India is one of the major producers of pumpkin and the crop is grown successfully under diverse agro-climatic conditions. Pumpkin cultivation is gaining importance due to increasing consumer demand, nutritional awareness and its suitability for commercial cultivation. However, continuous and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers alone has adversely affected soil fertility, nutrient balance and crop productivity. Excessive dependence on inorganic fertilizers deteriorates soil health, reduces microbial activity and leads to environmental pollution. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) has emerged as an efficient and sustainable approach for maintaining soil fertility and enhancing crop productivity. INM involves the judicious and combined use of inorganic fertilizers, organic manures and biofertilizers for balanced nutrient supply to crops. Organic sources such as farmyard manure and vermicompost improve soil structure, water-holding capacity, aeration and microbial activity, while biofertilizers like Azotobacter and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) enhance nutrient availability and nutrient-use efficiency. Integration of these nutrient sources not only improves crop growth and yield but also enhances quality parameters and maintains long-term soil health. Several studies have indicated that combined application of recommended dose of fertilizers along with organic manures and biofertilizers

Materials and Methods

The present investigation was conducted during 2024-25 at the Agricultural Research Farm, School of Agriculture, Suresh Gyan University, Jaipur (Rajasthan) under semi-arid conditions on loamy sand soil. The experiment comprised thirteen treatments viz. T 0: Control, T 1: RDF (100%) (80:40:40 kg N:P:K), T 2: FYM (20 t/ha), T 3: Vermicompost (5 t/ha), T 4: RDF + Azotobacter @ 25 g/kg seed, T 5: FYM + Azotobacter, T 6: Vermicompost + Azotobacter, T 7: RDF + PSB @ 25 g/kg seed, T 8: FYM + PSB, T 9: Vermicompost + PSB, T 10: RDF + Azotobacter + PSB, T 11: FYM + Azotobacter + PSB and T 12: Vermicompost + Azotobacter + PSB, which were laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications using pumpkin variety 'Arka Suryamukhi'. Observations on growth, yield and quality parameters were recorded at different growth stages following standard procedures. Total soluble solids (°Brix) were estimated using Erma hand refractometer as per A.O.A.C. (1995) [1] , while ascorbic acid content was determined by 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol dye method suggested by Ruck (1969) [11] . The experimental data were statistically analyzed according to the method described by Fisher (1950) [4] .

Results and Discussion

The data presented in table-1 revealed that integrated nutrient management treatments significantly influenced growth parameters of pumpkin. Among all the treatments, T 10: RDF + Azotobacter + PSB recorded the maximum vine length (459.34 cm), number of branches per plant (13.86) and fruit diameter (14.80 cm), which were significantly superior over rest of the treatments. Treatments T 12: Vermicompost + Azotobacter + PSB and T 11: FYM + Azotobacter + PSB were found next best treatments. The minimum values were recorded under control treatment (T 0 ). The improvement in growth attributes might be due to balanced nutrient availability, enhanced microbial activity and better nutrient uptake under integrated nutrient management. Similar findings were also reported by Alekar et al. (2015) [2] , Nath et al. (2025) [9] , Wang and Xing (2025) [13] and Gurau and Ray (2025) [6] . Perusal of data presented in table 2 [5] , Katta et al. (2025) [8] , Zhong et al.

(2026) [14] and Patil and Deshmukh (2026) [10] .

The results presented in table-3 showed that integrated nutrient management treatments significantly improved quality parameters of pumpkin. Treatment T 10: RDF + Azotobacter + PSB recorded the highest total soluble solids (13.93 °Brix) and ascorbic acid content (9.75 mg/100 g), whereas the lowest values were recorded under control treatment. Treatments T 12 and T 11 were found next superior treatments for quality improvement. Enhanced quality parameters under integrated nutrient management may be due to improved nutrient availability, higher photosynthetic activity and increased synthesis of sugars and vitamins in fruits. Similar findings were also reported by Isutsa et al.

(2025) [7] , Sharma and Bhadur (2026) [12] , Gurau and Ray (2025) [6] and Nath et al. (2025) [9] .

Conclusion

On the basis of present investigation, it may be concluded that INM significantly improved growth, yield and quality parameters of pumpkin. Among different treatments, T 10: RDF + Azotobacter + PSB proved most effective in enhancing vine growth, fruit yield and fruit quality under semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan. Thus, INM along with biofertilizers can be recommended for sustainable and profitable pumpkin production.

References

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