Influence of organic and inorganic foliar feeding applications on quality of phalsa

Introduction

The indigenous fruit phalsa (Grewia asiatica) is cultivated for commercial use in various Indian states. It belongs to the family Tiliaceae. It is thought to have originated in India. Botany describes the fruit as a berry, edible, and having a desired, pleasant flavour that can be either sweet or sour. Phalsa is a fruit crop that grows in the subtropics. It is farmed for commercial use in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. It is cultivated in areas of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Kutch, Valsad, and Saurashtra in the state of Gujarat (Meena et al., 2017) [10] . The Vedic literature claims that phalsa has some medicinal qualities. It may flourish in conditions like water scarcity and neglect where few other crops could. The tiny, purple to black fruit known as the Indian sherbet berry, or phalsa, is found on small trees or shrubs. It is a popular fruit in India that is used to make sherbet, jam, and jellies (Lamo et al., 2017) [8] . Due to its drought resistance, the plant requires little care. The ripe fruits have a diameter of 5 to 12 mm and a colour ranging from purple to black. 50-60% juice, 10-11% sugar, 2.0-2.5% acid, and a substantial amount of vitamins A and C are all present in ripe fruits. Additionally, they are a good source of iron and phosphorus (Kacha et al. 2014) [5] . Because of their limited shelf life, the fruits must be processed immediately after harvesting (Salunkhe and Desai, 1984) or are suitable for the local market. The ripe phalsa fruits are consumed raw in the summer or processed into cool fruit drinks or sweets. Since phalsa yields fruit according to the growth of the current season, no initial training is required and it is allowed to grow like a shrub. Blossom control and rigorous annual pruning before spring are necessary for higher-quality fruits. The most important step in phalsa cultivation is pruning. A yearly pruning to a height of around 100 cm encourages new shoots and a higher commercial production of marketable fruits than more drastic pruning (Singh and Sharma, 1961) [14] . This practice is also practiced in Gujarat state's Kutch region (Singh and Singh, 1983) [15] . Phytohormones, commonly referred to as plant growth regulators, are naturally occurring or chemically manufactured organic chemicals that control growth or other physiological processes at a distance from the site of synthesis. At trace levels, they are active. Exogenous administration of various plant growth agents has become an essential component of agrotechnical procedures for most cultivated plants, and especially for fruit crops. The usage of plant growth regulators, such as GA 3 , has been shown to increase berry or fruit size and improve the quality of crops like grape, citrus, ber, litchi, etc., in addition to enhancing production and quality. GA 3 (40 ppm) has been shown to boost fruit size and overall yield in phalsa. Because phalsa fruits are perishable, they should be sold as soon as they are harvested and delivered to the market. Growers may do not receive a market price for their products that is sufficient. Therefore, it would be preferable to postpone or accelerate fruit maturity. Growth promoters, which either accelerate or postpone fruit maturation, are employed to achieve the aforementioned goals. Ethrel hastens the maturity and significantly reduces the number of pickings in phalsa (Kacha et al. 2014) [5] .

Materials and Methods

Experimental Site: The experiment was carried out during January 2023 to May 2023 at Regional Horticultural Research Station, ASPEE College of Horticulture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari.

Experimental design and treatments: Eleven treatments and three repetitions made up the CRD experimental design. Each variable's standard error of mean (SEm±) was determined, and the treatment means were compared using the critical difference (CD) at the 5% level of probability, where the treatment effects were determined to be significant. To comprehend the variability of the experimental material for every example, the percentage coefficient of variation (CV%) was also calculated. A total of sixty-six plants were studied, with two plants chosen for each treatment. Treatment details are as under: T 1: GA 3 @ 100 mg l -1 , T 2: GA 3 @ 200 mg l -1 , T 3: NAA @ 100 mg l - 1 ,T 4: NAA @ 200 mg l -1 , T 5: Ethrel @ 1ml l -1 , T 6: Ethrel @ 2ml l -1 , T 7: Novel organic liquid nutrients @ 1%, T 8: Novel organic liquid nutrients @ 2% , T 9: G-IV Micronutrient @ 1%, T 10: G-IV Micronutrient @ 2% and T 11: Control (Water spray). Foliar application was given to the plants at two stages: first during the pre-blooming stage and the second during fruit set. Using sharp secateurs, the phalsa plants were clipped during the first week of January 2023. To stop the fungal infection, Bordeaux paste was applied to the cut ends as soon as they were pruned. Chemical fertilisers, such as 100 g N: 100 g P: 50 g K/plant as a basal dose, and welldecomposed FYM @ 10 kg/plant were administered to all treatments in January 2023. A second dose of N, 100 g, was applied in February 2023. Following pruning, the first irrigation was administered right away. After that, irrigation was applied every 20 days as needed, beginning with trimming and continuing until maturity.

Quality parameters TSS (˚Brix):

Digital handheld refractometers (range of 0-32 ˚Brix) were used to measure the juice's total soluble solids (TSS).

Total sugars (%) = Factor (0.05) × Dilution Titre × Weight of pulp taken × 100

The Ranganna (1986) method was used to estimate the titratable acidity. To determine the titratable acidity (%), the following formula was used: Reducing sugars (%): The titrimetric method of Lane and Eynon described by Ranganna (1986) was adopted for estimation of reducing sugar. The percentage of reducing sugar was calculated according to the following formula:

Reducing sugars (%) = Factor (0.05) × Total volume made up Titre × weight of the pulp × 100

The reducing sugars (%) were subtracted from the total sugars (%) to determine the nonreducing sugars (%).

Results and Discussion

It is well recognized that both organic and inorganic materials affect fruit quality parameters in addition to fruit set, yield, etc. According to a review of the literature, there are numerous examples where both organic and inorganic compounds have enhanced the amount and had a favourable impact on the physico-chemical characteristics. Without an improvement in quality, further increases in quantity are meaningless. Positive effects of both organic and inorganic compounds were observed in this research. The following summarizes the significant effects of the various treatments on the quality characteristics of phalsa, which include TSS (ºBrix), titrable acidity (%), total sugar (%), reducing sugar (%), and non-reducing sugar (%).

TSS (ºBrix)

The TSS (ºBrix) ranged from 18.54 to 22.23, as can be seen from the data in Table 1. According to Table 1's results, phalsa plants treated with foliar spray of treatment T 6 (ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 ) before blooming and after fruit set recorded significantly the highest TSS (22.23 ºBrix), which is comparable to T 5 treatment ethrel @ 1 ml l -1 (22.01 ºBrix). In contrast, control (T 11 ) had the lowest TSS (18.54 ºBrix).

When ethrel was sprayed on the bushes before blooming and during fruit set, a noticeably greater concentration of TSS was achieved (Table 1). The rapid metabolic conversion of starch and pectin into soluble molecules and the speedy transport of sugars from the leaves to the growing fruits may be the cause of the ethrel's increased TSS (Lamo et al. 2021) [7] . The quick breakdown of polysaccharides into soluble sugars and the enhanced mobility of carbohydrates from the source to sink under the impact of applied growth regulators in phalsa may be the causes of the rise in TSS content (Debnath et al. 2011) [3] . TSS in phalsa improved more effectively with higher ethrel concentrations. Meena et al. (2017) [10] , Patel H. T. (2016)

The triable acidity (%) ranged from 2.34 to 3.03, as can be seen from the data in Table 1. Which shows that when phalsa plants were treated with foliar spray of treatment T 2 (GA 3 @ 200 mg l-1) at the pre-blooming stage and after fruit set, the titrable acidity was significantly lower (2.34%), which is comparable to treatment T 1 treatment GA 3 @ 100 mg l -1 (2.41%), while the control (T 11 ) had the highest titrable acidity (3.03%). GA 3 @ 200 mg l -1 considerably decreased the titrable acidity (%). This outcome is consistent with the guava findings of Sharma and Tiwari (2015) [13] . According to their research, GA 3 in guava was found to have a lower acidity because it quickly converts acids into sugars and their derivatives through reactions involving reverse glycolytic pathways, or it may have been utilized for respiration, or both. Majumder et al. (2017) [9] have found similar results in guava. When growth regulators were used, the fruit's acidity decreased because it may have quickly converted to sugar and its derivatives or because organic acids degraded more quickly.

Table 1 presents the data regarding the total sugar as influenced by organic and inorganic substances. It was evident from the data shown in Table 1 that the total sugar (%) was significantly impacted. Phalsa plants treated with foliar spray before blooming and after fruit set had the most total sugar (5.47%) in T 6 ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 , which was statistically comparable to T 5 ethrel @ 1 ml l -1 (5.43%), while T 11 (control) had the lowest total sugar (3.88%). Ethrel's promotion of starch hydrolysis into sugars and early fruit maturation may be the cause of the rise in total sugar (%) caused by ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 . Debnath et al. (2011) [3] ,

Lamo et al. (2017) [8] , Kacha et al. (2014) [5] , and Patel H. T. (2016) [11] have similarly acquired similar findings in Phalsa.

Table 1 presents the data regarding the reducing sugar as influenced by organic and inorganic chemicals. There was a noticeable impact on lowering sugar (%), according to the results shown in Table 1. When phalsa plants were treated with foliar spray before blooming and after fruit set, the highest reducing sugar (1.98%) was observed in T 6 ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 , which was statistically comparable to T 5 ethrel @ 1 ml l -1 (1.95%), while T 11 (control) had the lowest reducing sugar (1.44%). The ethrel induced hydrolysis of starch into sugars and the early fruit maturation may be the cause of the rise in reducing sugar (%) by ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 . Debnath et al. (2011) [3] , Lamo et al. (2017) [8] , Kacha et al. (2014) [5] , and Patel H. T. (2016) [11] have also found similar results in Phalsa.

Table 1 presents the data regarding the non-reducing sugar as influenced by organic and inorganic compounds. The findings in Table 1 made it abundantly evident that the nonreducing sugar (%) was significantly impacted. When phalsa plants were treated with foliar spray at the pre-blooming stage and after fruit set, the highest non-reducing sugar (3.49%) was recorded in T 6 treatment ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 . This was statistically comparable to T 5 treatment ethrel @ 1 ml l -1 (3.48%), while T 11 (control) had the lowest non-reducing sugar (2.44%). Ethrel's promotion of starch hydrolysis into sugars and early fruit maturity may be the cause of the rise in non-reducing sugar (%) by ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 . Debnath et al. (2011) [3] , Lamo et al. (2017) [8] , Kacha et al. (2014) [5] , Patel H. T. (2016) [11] , Meena et al. (2017) [10] , and Lakra et al. (2022) [6] have also achieved similar findings in Phalsa.

Economics

The cost of cultivation of phalsa per hectare as influenced by the application of organic and inorganic substances is presented in Table 2. Among the organic and inorganic substances, the highest net return (48520.00 Rs./ha) was recorded in treatment GA 3 @ 100 mg l -1 which, was at par with treatment GA 3 @ 200 mg l -1 (45820.00 Rs./ha) and lowest net return in control (2443.00 Rs./ha).

Conclusion

From this investigation, it can be concluded that spraying of GA 3 @ 200 mg l -1 twice i.e., at pre blooming stage and after fruit set is lowers titrable acidity while, ethrel @ 2 ml l -1 enhancing the physico-chemical quality of phalsa like TSS ºBrix, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and total sugars. From economic point of view GA 3 @ 100 mg l -1 gave maximum net realization.

References

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