Effect of inorganic and biofertilizers on fruit set, yield and quality of custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) cv. Balanagar

Abstract

The field study was carried out at Custard apple Research Station, Ambejogai, Dist. Beed. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with fourteen treatments and three replications. The data on fruit set, yield, and quality was recorded individually. Reproductive growth parameters viz., maximum number of flowers per meter cube (21.00 flowers), number of fruits per meter cube (16.00 fruits), maximum fruit set % (76.21%) recorded in treatment T2 (100% RDF + FYM + Azotobacter + PSB) followed by T3 (100 % RDF + FYM + Azotobacter). Yield parameters viz., maximum number of fruits per plant (68.00 fruits), yield per tree (13.46 kg), marketable yield (12.41kg) and yield per hectare (8.41t/ha.) were recorded higher in treatment T2 (100% RDF + FYM + Azotobacter + PSB) followed by treatment T4 (100 % RDF + Azotobacter + PSB) and maximum fruit weight (221.13 g) recorded in T4 (100% RDF +Azotobacter + PSB) while the lowest values for these observations were recorded under control treatment (T14).As regards to the fruit quality, the biochemical attributes viz., total soluble solids (23.80%), reducing sugar (14.11 %), non- reducing sugar (3.46%), total sugars (17.57%), ascorbic acid (37.22 mg per 100 g of pulp), minimum acidity (0.32%) observed in treatment T2 (100% RDF + FYM + Azotobacter + PSB) followed by treatment T3 (100% RDF +FYM + Azotobacter).