Integrated nutrient management in pomegranate grown in laterite soil

To produce good quality pomegranate in larger quantity, an experiment was conducted on 5-year-old plants of cv. Ruby in a private orchard at Jhargram, Paschim Midnapore where soil is laterite and climate is sub-tropical. There were nine manurial treatments which consisted of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers, applied individually and in combination following R.b.D. Three consecutive years of study indicated that FYM was better than vermicompost with regard to improvement in plant growth and fruit production. Plant growth in respect of basal girth and canopy was highest in plant where FYM (20 kg/plant) was applied singly or combined with inorganic fertilizers. Highest yield (8.1 kg/plant) was recorded in plant where FYM 20 kg along with N₄₀₀P₁₀₀K₃₀₀g/year was applied that was associated with the foliar N/K ratio of 1.3. The treatment also resulted in maximum fruit weight (200 g) with the highest TSS (14.8°B), reducing sugar (12.0%) and vit. C (12.5 mg/100 ml) content. The fruits from organic fertilized plant showed maximum storage life with less PLW.