Response of organic and inorganic manures on growth and yield of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. “Winter Dawn”

Introduction

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an important fruit crop belonging to the family Rosaceae and is valued for its attractive appearance, pleasant flavour, delicate texture and high nutritional and commercial importance. Cultivated strawberry is octaploid (2n = 56) and is grown under both plains and hilly conditions. The crop has a relatively short production period, with fruits generally harvested within 60-155 days after transplanting, which makes it attractive for commercial production and rapid returns to growers. Besides fresh consumption, strawberry fruits are widely utilized by the processing, confectionery and food industries. Strawberry production has expanded considerably in different parts of the world because of increasing consumer demand and its high-value nature. According to the FAO (2016) information reported in the present thesis, Asia contributed about 51.4% of global strawberry production, with approximately 1.77 lakh ha under cultivation and annual production of about 4.68 million tonnes. On the basis of these values, the approximate productivity works out to about 2.64 t ha -1 . Major strawberry-producing countries include China, Poland, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Turkey, Germany, Mexico, Belarus, Ukraine and Spain. In India, strawberry is cultivated in Maharashtra, Haryana and several hill regions, including Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and Darjeeling in West Bengal. The crop is also gaining importance in the plains of northern India, where suitable winter conditions provide opportunities for commercial cultivation. Among the improved cultivars, 'Winter Dawn' has potential for cultivation under subtropical conditions because of its early maturity, attractive fruit characteristics, yield potential and adaptability Wani et al. (2013) [10] . However, successful strawberry production in subtropical regions requires appropriate management of plant nutrition, soil moisture and the soil microclimate. Strawberry is a surface-feeding crop with a shallow root system and therefore responds considerably to changes in soil moisture and nutrient availability. Efficient nutrient management is particularly important because nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium play major roles in vegetative growth, root development, flowering, fruit development, sugar accumulation and overall fruit quality Singh et al. (2010) [19] . Conventional fertilizer application can provide readily available nutrients and support rapid crop growth, but increasing emphasis on sustainable horticultural production has encouraged the evaluation of biological and organic inputs as complementary nutrient-management options. Bioenhancers such as Panchagavya, seaweed extract and microbial consortia may improve plant physiological activity, nutrient-use efficiency and rhizospheric microbial activity Patel et al. (2022) [1] . Seaweed extracts have been reported to enhance vegetative growth, chlorophyll development, nutrient absorption and fruit production, whereas beneficial microbial inoculants can improve nutrient availability and plant nutrient uptake through enhanced microbial activity in the rhizosphere Sonker et al. (2025). In view of the increasing importance of strawberry cultivation in subtropical regions and the need for efficient and sustainable nutrient-management practices, evaluation of bio-enhancer along with suitable mulching becomes relevant. The present investigation was therefore undertaken at Lucknow during rabi 2024-25 to assess the influence of selected bio-enhancers and nutrient-management treatments, namely recommended dose of fertilizers, Panchagavya, seaweed extract, microbial consortium, Panchagavya + FYM and their integrated application, in combination with black and white mulches, on the growth, flowering, yield and fruit quality of strawberry cv. 'Winter Dawn'. The experiment was designed to identify treatments capable of improving crop productivity while providing a more sustainable approach to strawberry production under subtropical conditions.

Materials and Methods

A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2024-25 at the Research Farm of Maharshi School of Agriculture, Maharishi University of Information Technology (MUIT), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, located at approximately 26.85° N latitude, 80.95° E longitude and 123 m above mean sea level. The experimental soil was sandy loam, nearly neutral in reaction (pH 7.3), with 0.54% organic carbon, 265 kg ha -1 available N, 22.4 kg ha -1 available P and 248 kg ha -1 available K. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with eight treatments and three replications. The treatments comprised (T₁) control, (T₂) recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), (T₃) Panchagavya foliar spray (3%), (T₄) Panchagavya soil drenching, (T₅) seaweed extract foliar spray, (T₆) microbial consortium soil application, (T₇) Panchagavya + FYM and (T₈) integrated bio-enhancer package (Panchagavya + seaweed extract + microbial consortium). The RDF consisted of 100 kg N, 60 kg P₂O₅ and 60 kg K₂O ha -1 , while FYM was applied at 20 t ha -1 . Panchagavya foliar spray was applied at 30, 45 and 60 days after transplanting (DAT), soil drenching at transplanting and 30 DAT, seaweed extract at 30 and 60 DAT, and microbial consortium at transplanting. Healthy runners of strawberry cv. "Winter Dawn" were planted at 30 × 45 cm spacing on raised beds. Black and white plastic mulches were used to evaluate their influence on crop performance. Observations on growth, flowering, yield and fruit-quality attributes were recorded from randomly selected plants. The recorded data were subjected to analysis of variance appropriate for RBD, and treatment means were compared using the critical difference (CD) at the 5% level of significance.

Analysis of Attributes

Observations were recorded from five randomly selected plants per plot for growth, flowering, yield and fruit-quality attributes. Growth parameters included plant height, number of leaves plant -1 , leaf area, plant spread, crown diameter, number of crowns plant -1 and root length. Flowering parameters comprised days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, number of flowers plant -1 , flowering duration and fruit-set percentage. Yield attributes included number of fruits plant -1 , average fruit weight, yield plant -1 , yield plot -1 , yield hectare -1 , and marketable and non-marketable fruit percentage. Fruit-quality characteristics were assessed through fruit length, fruit width, individual fruit weight, firmness, colour, external appearance, pedicel length and shelf life. Fruit number was counted manually, fruit weight was measured using a digital balance, and fruit dimensions were measured using a vernier caliper. The recorded data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) under Randomized Block Design, and treatment means were compared using the critical difference (CD) at 5% significance level.

Results and Discussion

Crown Height (cm) Crown height was significantly influenced by different bioenhancer treatments. The maximum crown height was recorded under recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) (1.84 cm), followed by seaweed extract foliar spray (1.60 cm), while the minimum was observed in control (0.98 cm). The higher crown height under RDF may be attributed to adequate and balanced nutrient availability, which promoted cell division, elongation and vegetative growth of strawberry plants. Similar improvement under bio-enhancer treatments may be associated with enhanced nutrient uptake and stimulation of plant growth-promoting physiological processes.

The maximum petiole length was recorded with RDF (13.08 cm), followed by Panchagavya foliar spray (12.60 cm) and Panchagavya soil drenching (12.47 cm), whereas the control recorded the minimum value (10.01 cm). RDF produced significantly longer petioles than most bio-enhancer treatments, indicating the importance of adequate nutrient supply for vigorous vegetative development. The improvement with Panchagavya treatments may be due to the presence of beneficial microorganisms, growthpromoting substances and readily available nutrients that favour cell elongation and leaf development.

Number of Leaves Plant -1

The number of leaves plant⁻¹ varied considerably among the treatments, with RDF recording the maximum number of leaves (19.18), followed by Panchagavya foliar spray (17.84) and seaweed extract foliar spray (16.79). The control produced the fewest leaves (12.84). The greater leaf production under RDF could be attributed to better nitrogen and other nutrient availability, which enhanced meristematic activity and leaf initiation. bio-enhancer also improved leaf production over control, probably through improved nutrient assimilation and stimulation of physiological activity.

Total chlorophyll content was highest under RDF (2.02 mg g⁻¹), followed by Panchagavya soil drenching (1.89 mg g⁻¹) and Panchagavya foliar spray (1.83 mg g⁻¹), while the lowest value was observed in control (1.60 mg g⁻¹). The higher chlorophyll concentration under RDF may be associated with adequate nitrogen and other essential nutrients required for chlorophyll synthesis and maintenance of photosynthetic pigments. Panchagavya and other bioenhancer also improved chlorophyll content, possibly by enhancing nutrient availability and microbial activity in the rhizosphere.

Plant Spread (East-West) (cm) Plant spread in the East-West direction was maximum with RDF (27.65 cm), followed by Panchagavya foliar spray (26.43 cm) and Panchagavya + FYM treatment (25.78 cm), whereas the control recorded the lowest spread (20.55 cm). RDF resulted in the highest plant spread because balanced nutrient availability promoted leaf expansion, crown development and overall vegetative growth. Although Panchagavya foliar spray recorded a relatively high value, its difference from RDF was not statistically significant as per the reported CD (1.87 cm), suggesting comparable performance for this attribute.

The maximum North-South plant spread was observed with Panchagavya foliar spray (25.13 cm), followed by RDF (24.53 cm), whereas the minimum was recorded under control (21.45 cm). The higher plant spread under Panchagavya foliar application may be attributed to improved physiological activity and the presence of growthpromoting substances that favour canopy expansion. However, the difference between Panchagavya foliar spray and RDF was smaller than the CD (1.66 cm) and therefore was not statistically significant, indicating comparable performance of both treatments. Fruit Length (cm) Fruit length was significantly influenced by different bioenhancer treatments. The maximum fruit length was recorded under RDF (38.97 cm), followed by integrated bioenhancer package (36.85 cm) and Panchagavya + FYM (35.96 cm), whereas the minimum was observed under control (34.57 cm). The superiority of RDF may be attributed to balanced and adequate nutrient availability, which enhanced cell division, cell elongation and fruit development. The improvement under bio-enhancer treatments may be associated with better nutrient availability and stimulation of physiological processes.

The maximum fruit width was recorded with RDF (28.80 cm), followed by microbial consortium soil application (26.97 cm) and Panchagavya soil drenching (25.89 cm), while the minimum was observed in control (23.60 cm). RDF produced significantly wider fruits than most treatments, indicating the importance of balanced nutrition for fruit enlargement. The beneficial effect of microbial consortium may be due to enhanced nutrient solubilization and uptake, which supported cell expansion and fruit growth.

L/D Ratio

The L/D ratio ranged from 1.34 in control to 1.47 under RDF. RDF recorded the highest numerical L/D ratio, followed by seaweed extract foliar spray and Panchagavya + FYM (1.39), whereas the lowest value was recorded under control. However, the treatment effect was non-significant (NS), indicating that the different bio-enhancer treatments did not significantly alter fruit shape. The numerical variation may nevertheless reflect differences in the relative expansion of fruit length and width.

Fruit Fresh Weight (g) Fruit fresh weight was significantly affected by the treatments, with RDF recording the maximum fresh weight (17.89 g), followed by Panchagavya soil drenching (16.02 g) and seaweed extract foliar spray (16.34 g). The minimum fresh weight was observed in control (14.59 g). Higher fresh weight under RDF may be attributed to improved nutrient supply and enhanced assimilate accumulation during fruit development. bio-enhancer also improved fruit fresh weight over control, possibly by enhancing nutrient uptake and physiological efficiency.

The maximum fruit dry weight was recorded under RDF (0.87 g), followed by Panchagavya soil drenching (0.79 g) and seaweed extract foliar spray (0.77 g), whereas the lowest value was recorded under integrated bio-enhancer package (0.70 g). RDF was superior due to the availability of balanced nutrients that promoted photosynthesis and translocation of assimilates towards developing fruits. The higher dry matter accumulation under bio-enhancer treatments compared with control may be associated with improved nutrient assimilation and plant metabolic activity.

Conclusion

The study revealed that RDF was the most effective treatment, producing superior growth, flowering and yield attributes of strawberry cv. 'Winter Dawn', including the highest fruit number (15.76 plant -1 ), average fruit weight (17.89 g) and fruit yield (229.49 g plant -1 ). Among the bioenhancer, the integrated bio-enhancer package, microbial consortium and seaweed extract showed appreciable improvement in yield over the control. Thus, RDF in combination with suitable bio-enhancer and white mulch may be considered a promising nutrient and cropmanagement strategy for improving strawberry productivity under subtropical conditions of Lucknow.

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