Studies on the effect of foliar sprays on flowering, fruit quality and yield of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) cv. Balaji in Ambe Bahar crop

Abstract

The experiment titled “Studies on the effect of foliar sprays on flowering, fruit quality, and yield of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) cv. Balaji in Ambe Bahar Crop” was conducted during 2024-25 at Jaggannapeta village near Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University, Andhra Pradesh. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of various foliar sprays combining plant growth regulators and micronutrients on flowering, fruit quality, and yield. Using a Randomized Block Design with three replications and eight treatments, significant variations were observed among treatments. The treatment GA₃ @ 50 ppm + ZnSO₄ (1%) + FeSO₄ (1%) + borax (0.6%) produced the highest fruit set per shoot (12.60), flower number (19.61), fruit weight (43.60 g), juice content (48.94%), TSS (8.90 °Brix), ascorbic acid (30.20 mg/100 g), chlorophyll content (61.00 SPAD), total sugars (1.90%), reducing sugars (0.92%) and non-reducing sugars (0.98%). It also resulted in the minimum peel thickness (2.10 mm) and peel weight (7.07 g), the greatest number of fruits per tree (760.33), maximum yield (33.15 kg/tree) and recorded the highest benefit-cost ratio (1.85). Meanwhile, 2,4-D @ 25 ppm with micronutrients showed the highest fruit retention (57.03%) and lowest fruit drop (40.06%). The control treatment exhibited the poorest performance. Thus, GA₃ @ 50 ppm combined with micronutrients is recommended as the most effective treatment for enhancing flowering, fruit quality, and yield in acid lime cv. Balaji.