Effect of combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on yield and quality of young tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) inter-planted in arecanut

Abstract

An experiment was carried during March 2016 to May 2017, to investigate the effect of combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on yield and quality of young tea (camellia sinensis (l.) o. kuntze) inter-planted in arecanut, at Instructional plot of the Department of Plantation Crops and Processing, Faculty of Horticulture, UBKV, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatments T1 (Control), T2 (FYM@ 2.0kg+1/2 RDF), T3 (VC@ 1.0kg+1/2RDF), T4 ([email protected]+RDF), T5 ([email protected]+RDF) and four replications, yield parameters were recorded from 90 to 360 days after planting. Two to three leaves and the terminal buds were harvested from different treatments, quality parameters were estimated like Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and chlorophyll content. Results were revealed that maximum number of growing buds (94.83%) and minimum number dormant buds (5.18%) were recorded in T5 (VC+RDF) followed by T4 (FYM+RDF) and T3 (VC+1/2 RDF) whereas minimum growing buds and maximum dormant buds recorded in T1(control) on 360 days after planting, yield parameters were significantly varied among the treatments. With respect of quality parameters chlorophyll, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) there was no significant difference among the treatments.