Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield and quality of Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.) cv. Umran

Introduction

Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.), the Indian jujube, is one of the hardiest and most economically important arid-zone fruit crops of the Indian subcontinent. It belongs to the family Rhamnaceae and is cultivated extensively across the semi-arid and sub-humid tracts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The crop is uniquely adapted to hot, dry climates, alkaline and calcareous soils, and rainfed conditions, making it the fruit crop of choice for marginal and degraded land in the drylands of central India (Pareek, 2001) [21] . Nutritionally, ber fruits are a rich source of ascorbic acid (65-90 mg/100 g), dietary sugars, calcium and iron, making them an important component of the diet of rural communities in dryland regions where fresh fruit diversity is limited (Goyal & Singh, 2001) [9] . Madhya Pradesh ranks second in ber production nationally, with approximately 89,400 hectares under cultivation and an annual output of 1,98,700 metric tonnes. Despite this scale, the average productivity of 2.22 t/ha is well below the genetic potential (NHB, 2022-23; MPDA, 2021) [18,17] . Among the principal yield-limiting factors, imbalanced and unscientific nutrient management is foremost. The calcareous, alkaline soils of MP's major ber-growing districts (Chambal valley, Vindhyan plateau) are characteristically low in organic carbon (<0.5%), available nitrogen, phosphorus, and the micronutrients zinc and boron, which are deficient in the majority of commercial orchards (Shukla & Dhake, 2006) [26] . Conventional management in most orchards relies on chemical fertilizers alone, without organic matter supplementation or micronutrient correctionan approach that addresses macronutrient deficiency but leaves soil health, micronutrient status and biological fertility largely unaddressed. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)the balanced, complementary use of chemical fertilizers, organic manures, biofertilizers and micronutrient supplementshas been recommended as the most sustainable approach to orchard fertility management (Roy et al., 2006; Tandon, 2005) [24,32] [13,16,30] . However, location-specific evidence for Madhya Pradesh's specific soil and agro-climatic conditions has been lacking. The present investigation was therefore designed to evaluate ten INM treatment combinations for their effect on the growth, yield, fruit quality, leaf nutrient status, postharvest soil fertility and economics of ber cv. Umran under MP conditions, with the objective of identifying the most productive and economically optimal INM package for adoption by the state's ber growers.

Materials and Methods

The field experiment was conducted during 2024-25 on seven-year-old, bearing-age ber trees of cv. Umran at Agriculture Research and Development Centre, Sakatpura, School of Agriculture Science, Vikrant University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The experimental soil was sandy loam (pH 7.82; EC 0.42 dS/m; organic carbon 0.28%; available N 148.4, P 14.2, K 182.4 kg/ha; DTPA-Zn 0.42 ppm, hotwater-soluble B 0.38 ppm)characteristic of the Vindhyan plateau ber-growing zone. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design (RBD) with ten treatments and three replications (one tree per experimental unit; planting density 156 trees/ha; 8 × 8 m spacing). The Recommended Dose of Fertilizer (RDF) was N:P₂O₅:K₂O = 750:250:500 g/tree/year (Pareek, 2001; Chadha, 2001) [21] . Organic manures (FYM and vermicompost), the full dose of phosphorus and potassium, and 50% of nitrogen were applied as a basal dressing in the drip-line trench in late June. The remaining 50% nitrogen was applied as a top dressing at initial fruit set (~30 days after full bloom). Biofertilizer inoculants (Azotobacter chroococcum + Bacillus megaterium PSB; carrier-based, ≥1 × 10⁷ CFU/g) were mixed with organic manure and applied alongside the basal dressing. Foliar sprays of ZnSO₄ (0.5%) and borax (0.2%) were applied at pre-flowering and 30 days after fruit set using a knapsack sprayer. All cultural operations (pruning, irrigation, weeding, plant protection) were uniform across treatments. Observations were recorded on eight vegetative growth parameters, three flowering behaviour parameters, three fruit set and retention parameters, seven yield parameters, seven physico-chemical quality parameters, five leaf nutrient parameters and eight post-harvest soil fertility parameters, following standard procedures. TSS was measured by hand refractometer; acidity by NaOH titration; total and reducing sugars by the Lane and Eynon method; ascorbic acid by DCPIP dye titration; all procedures as per AOAC (2000) [6] and Ranganna (1986) [22] . Leaf macronutrients were determined after Kjeldahl digestion; micronutrients by AAS (AOAC, 2000) [6] . Soil parameters were determined by standard methods: pH by glass electrode (Jackson, 1973) [11] ; available N by alkaline permanganate (Subbiah & Asija, 1956) [31] ; available P by Olsen's method (Olsen et al., 1954) [19] ; available K by flame photometry; available Zn by DTPA extraction (Lindsay & Norvell, 1978) [14] ; available B by hot-water extraction (Berger & Truog, 1939) [7] . Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA for RBD; treatment means were compared by the Critical Difference (CD) at 5% significance (Panse & Sukhatme, 1985) [20] .

Results and Discussion

Vegetative Growth Parameters, all vegetative growth parameters showed highly significant responses to the INM treatments (Table 2). Plant height ranged from 3.42 m (T₁) to 4.18 m (T₁₀). The 100% chemical NPK treatment (T₂) gave a plant height of 3.86 m, while T₁₀ was 8.3% superior to T₂, demonstrating that INM integration produces measurable improvements in canopy development beyond what chemical fertilization alone can achieve. Shoot length ranged from T 10 (25.4) followed by T 7 (23.6) and T 8 (23.2) the most directly relevant vegetative parameter for ber productivity, as flowers and fruits are borne exclusively on new shoots, Leaf area highest recorded in T 10 (13.2) followed by T 7 (12.4) and T 8 (12.2), SPAD value SPAD value highest recorded in T 10 (39.4) followed by T 7 (37.6) and T 8 (37.2), Trunk girth highest recorded in T 10 (32.6) followed by T 7 (31.8) and T 8 (31.6), Number of branch Trunk girth highest recorded in T 10 (9.0) followed by T 7 (8.6) and T 8 (8.4) reflecting the combined effect of improved nitrogen supply (from biofertilizer-fixed N and organic N mineralisation), better soil physical condition improving root activity, and zinc-stimulated chlorophyll synthesis. [13] and Singh et al. (2012) [30] , who reported superior canopy development in INM-treated ber over chemical NPK-only treatments. [29] and Rathore et al. (2019) [23] . Fruit drop was minimum in T₁₀ (29.6%) vs. 40.6% in T₂, reflecting better potassium-mediated pedicel integrity and zincmaintained IAA levels that suppress premature abscission.

Conclusions

References

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