Yield response of rhizosphere hybridization in Khasi Mandarin

A field experiment was conducted at Kruoliezou, L.Khel, Kohima, Nagaland during Marc 2020-March 2021 to study the yield response on rhizosphere hybridization in Khasi mandarin. In the orchard, four of the most healthy and vigorous growing plants were selected and designated as T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄. The active rhizosphere soil from these four plants were collected and inoculated into the rhizosphere of plants as treatments on their drip zone. The experiment was carried in Randomized Complete Block Design with five replications. Rhizosphere-III which had a higher bacterial and fungal count also showed higher abundance of microbial community in the treated plants as compared to the other treatments. Overall, the plants inoculated with Rhizosphere-III showed a better response with respect to the yield, yield attributes (no. of fruits/tree, weight of fruit), fruit characteristics (fruit length and width) and changes in leaf macronutrient (N, P, K) and micronutrients (Mn, Cu, Zn). The impact of rhizosphere hybridization on the plants may not be observed immediately as it is a slow and gradual process as a part of low input sustainable citriculture.