Effect of integrated nutrient management practices on growth and yield attributes of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Bemetara district of Chhattisgarh

Abstract

The present study entitled “Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) practices on growth and yield attributes of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Bemetara district of Chhattisgarh” was conducted during the Zaid season of 2024-25 at the Research Cum Instructional Farm, College of Horticulture and Research Station, Saja, Bemetara (C.G.). The field experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with eight treatments, each replicated three times, using tomato variety ‘Saaho’. The treatments included various combinations of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), farmyard manure (FYM), and vermicompost. Observations were recorded on vegetative growth, flowering, yield, and quality parameters. The results revealed that T₇ (75% RDF + 3 t/ha Vermicompost) recorded the highest plant height (124.6 cm at 90 DAT), maximum number of branches per plant (11.6), earliest flowering (34.5 days), maximum number of flowers per cluster (6.7), and highest number of flower clusters per plant (15.3). Similarly, yield parameters were significantly improved under INM treatments, with T₇ producing the maximum number of fruits per plant (45.6), highest fruit weight (84.5 g), fruit diameter (5.98 cm), fruit yield per plant (2.94 kg), fruit yield per plot (22.8 kg), and fruit yield per hectare (30.40 t). These improvements were attributed to the synergistic effect of inorganic fertilizers with vermicompost, which enhanced soil fertility, nutrient uptake, and plant physiological efficiency.