Influence of pruning intensity and foliar feeding of micro-nutrients on yield and fruiting behavior of Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn L.)

Abstract

Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn L.) is generally cultivated in several semiarid areas of Asia because of its adaptability to yield in limiting conditions. The present study aims to assess the effect of different pruning intensity and plant growth regulators on yield and fruiting behavior of Aonla. The present study comprised four different pruning intensity of previous season growth viz., P0 - no pruning, P1- 25% pruning, P2- 50% pruning, P3- 75% pruning and plant growth regulators (PGRs) viz., C0 - water spray (control), C1 - Boron (0.4%), C2 - ZnSo4 (0.4%) and C3- CuSo4 (0.4%). This study effectively demonstrated that the minimum fruit drop and maximum fruit retention achieved by employing 50% pruning + borax at 0.4%. The highest fruit yield have been obtained by 50% pruning + borax at 0.4% closely followed by 75% pruning + borax at 0.4% and lowest being in un-pruned shoots + water spray. Significantly maximum fruit length (4.69 cm) and fruit weight (36.82 g) were also recorded with 50% pruning + borax at 0.4% followed by 75% pruning + borax at 0.4%.