Impact of organic fertilizers on growth and yield of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) Cv. Winter Dawn grown under Prayagraj agro climatic conditions

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, during the academic year 2024-25. The study aimed to assess the effect of different organic growing media and their combinations on the growth, yield, and quality of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and eleven treatments. The treatments included: T0 - Control, T1 - Vermicompost (100%), T2 - Cocopeat (100%), T3 - Farm Yard Manure (100%), T4 - Poultry Manure (100%), T5 - Vermicompost (50%) + Cocopeat (50%), T6 - Vermicompost (50%) + FYM (50%), T7 - Vermicompost (50%) + Poultry Manure (50%), T8 - Cocopeat (50%) + FYM (50%), T9 - Cocopeat (50%) + Poultry Manure (50%), and T10 - Poultry Manure (50%) + FYM (50%). The treatments were randomly allocated within each replication to ensure unbiased results. Observations were recorded periodically on various vegetative growth parameters such as plant height, number of leaves, and canopy spread; yield parameters such as number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, and total yield per hectare; and quality parameters such as TSS (°Brix), acidity, and fruit firmness. The results of the study revealed that treatment T10 (Poultry Manure 50% + FYM 50%) performed significantly better than all other treatments, showing superior results in terms of plant growth, yield, and fruit quality.