Impact of water conservation techniques and herbicidal treatments on yield and quality of Delicious apple under water stress conditions

The investigations were carried out on twelve-year-old Royal Delicious apple grown on crab apple seedling rootstock. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with seven treatments viz., dry grass mulch, atrazine (4 kg ha⁻¹) + grass mulch, pine needle mulch, black polythene mulch, glyphosate (0.8 l ha⁻¹), clean cultivation and control (no mulch material) of water conservation techniques for combating water stress. Mulching treatments, except pine needle mulch produced heavier crop in comparison to control, clean cultivation and glyphosate treatments. Black polythene mulch and atrazine + dry grass mulch were found to be most effective in conserving soil moisture, reducing fruit drop and produced larger fruits with higher anthocyanin, TSS and sugar content, and lower titratable acidity. Yield and yield efficiency also improved significantly with black polythene mulch and atrazine + dry grass mulch treatments.