Effect of drip fertigation on yield and quality of guava under ultra high density planting in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The new concept of UHDP in mango and guava is still a new technology to the growers of Tamil Nadu to increase the fivefold increase in production and they need an elaborate demonstration to adopt and to practice the technologies for fertigation. The present investigation was aimed at studying the effect of fertigation of guava under ultra-high density planting on growth and yield. An experiment was conducted at Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam in the year 2018-2019 with a spacing of 3 x1.5m. The trial was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with five set of treatments with water soluble fertilizers (WSF) and conventional fertilizers. The pooled yield revealed that the application of 100% RDF through water soluble fertilizers(T2) recorded highest fruit yield of 39.73 t ha-1, followed by T1 - 75% RDF through water soluble fertilizers recorded highest fruit yield of 38.15 t ha-1while the control (T5) recorded the lowest of 24.8 t ha-1, The same treatment recorded the highest in quality parameters with reducing sugar (6.72%), non-reducing sugar(5.05%) and lowest acidity(0.41%) while in However, the cost economics shows that 75% RDF through water soluble fertilizers recorded highest BC ratio of 3.65 over the control of 2.42. Hence 75% RDF as water soluble fertilizers can be advocated in increasing the yield and quality of Guava under UHDP.