Effect of pruning and fertilizer application on the quality of Diospyros melanoxylon leaves in Chhattisgarh (India)

Tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) leaf is used to wrap ‘Bidi’ or Indian cigarette due to its texture, flavour and workability. Experiments were conducted in tendu during 2015-2017 to assess the impact of pruning and application on chemical-and bio-fertilizers on leaf quality of this plant in Korba, Korea and Raipur districts of Chhattisgarh (India). Various levels of nitrogen (25-100 kg N ha⁻¹) and phosphorus (250-1000g plot⁻¹), neem granules, vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) and foliar spray of N and P (0.5-2.0%) were tested in a factorial randomized block design experiment. Every year pruning of tendu bushes of 2-4 cm girth at ground level increased the leaf surface area. The application of 100 kg N ha⁻¹ and 25 kg P ha⁻¹ to rhizosphere soil after rainy season improved tendu leaf quality in terms of specific leaf area. Foliar spray of 2% N and 1% P on tendu bushes enhanced leaf size and were more effective than chemical fertilizer application to soil. Similarly, application of biofertilizers in the form of 500 g neem granules and 1000 g VAM plot⁻¹enhanced the leaf quality of tendu.