Enhancing nutrient utilization in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) through integrated management approaches

Abstract

The research named "Integrated Nutrient Management in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)" was carried out in the 2017–18 academic year at SKUAST–J Chatha's Experimental Farm I, Division of Vegetable Science. The experiment used a Randomised Block Design with 14 treatments that were repeated three times. It included three levels of inorganic fertilizer (PKA, 75%, and 100%), two biofertilizers (Azotobacter and Phosphorus solubilizing Bacteria), and two organic sources (FYM and Vermicompost). Several growth, productivity, quality, and economics-related criteria were evaluated. Among all treatment combinations, the combination of T13 produced the tallest plant height (101.55 cm) and the most leaves per plant (93.31). In addition, the greatest number of branches (6.74) were formed by T11. Furthermore, of all the treatments, T13 produced the maximum fruit yield per hectare (450.20 q), the heaviest fruit weight (64.90 g), the longest fruit length (18.66 cm), the largest fruit diameter (5.14 cm), and the maximum fruit count (20.30). This resulted in the highest fruit yield per plant (1.29 kg). It is interesting to note that fruits with the highest sugar content (11.53% for both total and reducing sugars) and the highest vitamin C content (26.23 mg/100 g) were produced by T11. About economics, the treatment T13 had the greatest Cost-benefit ratio (2.87), with T11 coming in second with a B: C ratio of 2.83.