Studies on the response of integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of ber

Studies were conducted to determine the effect of organic and inorganic sources of NPK and foliar spray of chemicals on plant growth, fruit yield and quality of ber cv. Gola. Different graded levels of FYM (37.5, 75 and 150 kg/plant) and Vermicompost (11, 22 and 45 kg/plant) were supplemented with different doses of inorganic fertilizers and foliar spray of chemicals (control, borax 0.4 per cent and thiourea 0.5 per cent) to balance fertilizer requirement of ber under semi-arid region of northern India. Experimental results revealed that application of 22 kg vermicompost + 0.82 kg urea + 1.15 kg SSP + 0.41 kg MOP per tree (F₅) and foliar spray of thiourea @ 0.5 per cent (T₂) significantly increased the plant height, plant spread, leaf area, average weight of fruit and fruit yield per tree and reduced the fruit drop. The ascorbic acid and iron content of fruits and NPK uptake by fruits were enhanced alongwith improvement in relative leaf water content (RLWC) and chlorophyll content in leaves under treatment F₅ and T₂. All these parameters were appeared to be dose and source dependent and best results were achieved with the combined application of 22 kg vermicompost + 0.82 kg urea + 1.15 kg SSP + 0.41 kg MOP per tree + foliar spray of thiourea @ 0.5 per cent under integrated nutrient management systems of ber orchard.