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ThesisItem Open Access Influence of Different Rice Establishment Methods and Irrigation Regimes on Soil Properties of AnInceptisol Under Sub-Tropical Conditions(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2024-02-16) Sharma, Shruti; Sharma, VeenaA field experiment was conducted at Research Farm, Agrometeorological section, Division of Agronomy, SKUAST-J, Chatha during kharif 2022. The soil of the experimental field was sandy loam and was found to be low in organic carbon, available nitrogen, while medium in phosphorous, potassium and sulphur content before laying out the experiment. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four replications consisted of three treatments of rice establishment methods in the main plots: E1=Conventional method, E2=Direct seeded rice, E3=System of rice intensification and in sub plots, the following three treatment combinations of rice establishment and irrigation regimes were applied: I1 (7 cm (Conventional and DSR) / 3 cm (SRI), irrigation depth at 8 days interval during non-rainy period+ half of the recommended dose of NPK through FYM before sowing/puddling), I2 (alternate wetting and drying at 4 cm irrigation depth + half of the recommended dose of NPK, through vermicompost before sowing/puddling) and I3 (alternate wetting and drying at 4 cm irrigation depth +half of the recommended NPK, through FYM before sowing/puddling). The variety used was Basmati-123. The results revealed that conventional method recorded significant higher grain yield and yield attributes like no. of effective panicles/m2, no. of grains /panicle, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, straw yield and harvest index. However, water productivity was higher in SRI plots as compared to conventional and direct seeded rice method but was at par with both the latter methods. The results revealed that, the E2 (DSR) with I1 (7 cm irrigation depth at 8 days interval during non-rainy period +half of the recommended dose of NPK through FYM) treatment improved soil physical properties (bulk density, porosity, water stable aggregates, water holding capacity, field capacity). In terms of chemical properties (pH, EC, OC, N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Mn), E1 (conventional method) with I2 (alternate wetting and drying at 4 cm irrigation depth + half of the recommended dose of NPK, through vermicompost) improved soil fertility status of soil. The study also revealed that higher benefit cost ratio of 2.13 was recorded under conventional method. Among the different irrigation regimes, I1 (irrigation at 7 cm depth with half dose of NPK +half dose of FYM) recorded higher benefit-cost ratio of 2.06.ThesisItem Open Access Standardization of Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated Systems for Kinnow Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) under Jammu Subtropics(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-08-21) Sharma, Bhumika; Kumar, VijayThe present investigation entitled “Standardization of Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated Systems for KinnowMandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) under Jammu Subtropics” was carried out in three districts viz., Jammu, Kathua and Samba. Soil and leaf samples were collected and analysed for various soil properties, nutrient status and yield. These KinnowMandarin orchards have shown variation in soil pH from 6.30 to 8.18, EC 0.19-0.67 dS/m, organic carbon 3.00-6.70 (g/kg), soil texture including sand (44.88 to 75.87%), silt (13.11 to 29.31%) and clay (4.65 to 34.88%), N (99.10 to 381.56 kg/ha), P (9.79 to 18.99kg/ha), K (105.28 to 232.98kg/ha), S (7.12 to 14.23mg/kg), Ca (4.01 to 6.32[c mol (p+)kg-1]) , Mg (2.01 to 3.39[c mol (p+)kg-1]), Zn (0.40 to 4.99 mg/kg), Fe (2.49to13.89 mg/kg), Cu (0.42to 1.82 mg/kg) and Mn (0.59to 5.01 mg/kg) and N (1.17-2.53%), P (0.06-0.17%), K (0.80-1.66%), S (0.09-0.38%), Ca (1.20-1.87%), Mg (0.21-0.48%), Zn (17.89-37.81 mg/kg), Fe (155.48-321.78 mg/kg), Cu (15.78-38.47 mg/kg) and Mn (16.47-33.38mg/kg) leaf nutrients and fruit yield (14.89 – 47.78 kg/tree). The correlation studies between soil available nutrients and soil chemical properties showed a positive and significant relationship between soil N and OC and soil Ca and pH. The correlation between available nutrient elements in soil with their respective contents in leaves exhibited significant and positive relationships. The available nutrient in soil and leaves with yield also exhibited significant and positive relationships. Soil fertility norms and leaf nutrient standards derived from DRIS norms for soil and leaf were 181.68-308.95kg/ha, 10.68-17.34 kg/ha, 170.93-221.56kg/ha, 7.92-13.00 mg/kg, 5.25-6.24cmol(P+)kg-1, 2.49-3.26cmol(P+)kg-1, 0.62-4.74 mg/kg, 5.79-10.76 mg/kg, 0.87-1.66 mg/kg, 1.17-4.29 mg/kg and 1.96 to 2.34 %, 0.13 to 0.16 %, 1.46 to 1.63 %, 0.16 to 0.26 %, 1.70 to 1.90 %, 0.30 to 0.40 %, 20.09 to 29.56 mg/kg, 212.51 to 315.13 mg/kg, 25.83 to 37.38 mg/kg and 24.33 to 32.43 mg/kg respectively for N, P, K,S,Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn. DRIS approach diagnosed 9.6, 7.01, 4.38, 5.26, 6.14, 7.89, 12.2, 14.03, 8.77 and 21.05 % and 11.40, 6.14, 3.50, 1.75, 0, 5.26, 21.05, 17.54, 15.78 and 8.77 % orchards as major relative deficiency for N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn and soil and leaf respectively, whereas, sufficiency range identified 15.78, 0, 40.35, 0, 25.43, 15.78, 9.64, 8.77, 5.26 and 0 orchards as deficient for soil and 17.54, 31.57, 34.21, 6.14, 35.08, 12.28, 0, 7.89, 2.89 and 31.57 for leaf for N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn respectively. DRIS approach diagnosed 0, 1.75, 3.50, 1.75, 2, 0.87, 8.77, 23.68, 17.52 and 38.59 % and 18.42, 28.94, 42.98, 33.33, 45.61, 0.87, 11.40, 28.07, 33.33 and 32.45 % orchards as major relative excess for N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn and soil and leaf respectively, whereas, sufficiency range identified none of the orchards in excess. DRIS approach identified most deficient nutrient Mn followed by Fe followed by Zn followed by Cu followed by N followed by Mg followed by P followed by Ca followed by S followed by K in soil and Zn followed by Fe followed by Cu followed by N followed by Mn followed by P followed by Mg followed by K followed by S followed by Ca in leaves. Hence, DRIS diagnostic approach along with sufficiency range approach should be used as a guide for fertilizer application of KinnowMandarin tree for better production.ThesisItem Open Access Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Active Pools of Soil Organic Matter in Blackgram (Vigna mungo) under Dryland Subtropics of Jammu(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-11-23) Barwal, Aditya; Rai, APThe present investigation entitled “Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Active Pool of Soil Organic Matter in Black gram(Vigna mungo) under Dryland Subtropics of Jammu” was carried out during Kharif 2022 at the Research Farm of ACRA Dhiansar, Jammu. The experiment was laid out in an RBD with three replications and nine treatments which were T1-Control, T2-100% recommended NPK, T3-100% recommended NPK + Sulphur, T4-100% recommended NPK + Azophos, T5-100% recommended NPK + Sulphur + Azophos, T6-75% recommended NPK + 25% P through FYM + Sulphur + Azophos, T7-75% recommended NPK +25% P through Vermicompost + Sulphur + Azophos, T8-50% recommended NPK + 50% P through FYM + Sulphur + Azophos and T9-50% recommended NPK +50 % P through Vermicompost + Sulphur + Azophos. The variety ‘Uttara’ of black gram was sown in the first week of July at 30 cm × 10 cm spacing using the seed rate of 20 kg ha-1. The soil of the experimental plot was sandy loam in nature having pH value of 6.70 and EC of 0.21 dSm-1. It was moderately fertile being low in organic carbon (3.2 g kg-1) and available nitrogen (134.43 kg ha-1) whereas moderate in phosphorus (10.23 kg ha-1) and potassium (110.74 kg ha-1). The effect of treatments has been observed significantly higher in biological properties of soil including nutrient use efficiency, yield attributes and yield of black gram and non-significant effect was observed in physico-chemical properties except phosphorus and potassium. Non-significant differences were seen in case of active carbon pool except very labile carbon pool. Overall, the best treatments recorded were the treatments with the combination of inorganic and organic treatments and among them, the best one was treatment T7- 75 % recommended NPK + 25% P through Vermicompost + Sulphur + Azophos over control in black gram.ThesisItem Open Access Impact of Organic and Inorganic farming practices Soil Properties of Jammu and Kashmir(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-11-08) Hamid, Asfer; Dhotra, BalbirThe study entitled, “Impact of organic and inorganic farming practices on soil quality of Jammu and Kashmir” was carried out under SKUAST, Jammu where the soil samples were collected from cereal and vegetable based fields under organic and inorganic farming practices from six districts of Jammu and Kashmir namely Jammu, Samba, Reasi, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Pulwama. The research was attempted to compare soils under organic and inorganic farming practices with respect to soil physical, chemical and biological properties. The data generated was statistically analysed by comparing means using t-test. The texture of soils in vegetables and cereals under organic and inorganic soils ranged from sandy loam to loam.The study found significant variations in bulk density (BD), water holding capacity (WHC), pH, organic carbon (OC), available nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) between organic and inorganic farming practices. The mean value for BD for vegetables under organic farming practice was 1.31g /cm3 and for cereals was 1.34 g /cm3which was lower than 1.42g /cm3and 1.46 g /cm3for vegetables and cereals respectively under inorganic farming practices. Water holding capacity for vegetables and cereals under organic farming was 40.93% and 39.27%, respectively, higher than 32.43% and 26.81% under inorganic farming. The mean pH for vegetable under organic was 6.78 and 6.79 and under inorganic it was 7.09 and 7.09. Organic farming practices resulted in significantly higher levels of organic carbon, available nitrogen, and phosphorus in both vegetables and cereals compared to inorganic farming. Specifically, organic farming had average values of 1% OC, 344.25 kg/ha N, and 20.85 kg/ha P in vegetables, and 0.95% OC, 328.11 kg/ha N, and 20.19 kg/ha P in cereals, whereas inorganic farming had lower values of 0.73% OC, 298.85 kg/ha N, and 16.76 kg/ha P in vegetables, and 0.65% OC, 284.04 kg/ha N, and 15.46 kg/ha P in cereals. Furthermore, the SMBC and DHA for cereal and vegetables under organic were 78.45 µg/g soil and 5.74 µg TPF/g soil/ hr, respectively and 72.37 µg/g soil and 5.37 µg TPF/g soil/ hr respectively which were higher in 62.57 µg/g soil and 4.18 µg TPF/g soil/ hr respectively and 57.64 µg/g soil and 3.90 µg TPF/g soil/ hr, respectively. EC, Available K and DTPA extractable zinc and boron had no significant differences under organic and inorganic farming practices, however were on a higher side in case of organic farming practices. The results further revealed that vegetable and cereals under organic farming had better soil quality as compared to inorganic farming practices. The study concluded that organic farming practices result in enhanced soil physico chemical and biological properties compared to inorganic farming methods in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, Soil organic practices also enhanced the soil quality index in both vegetables and cereals over inorganic practices. Therefore, the promotion and adoption of organic farming can play a vital role in establishing and maintaining healthy, sustainable, and environmentally friendly agricultural production systems.ThesisItem Open Access Impact of planting methods, biochar and polyacrylamide on soil properties, crop yield and water productivity in rice-wheat system(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-11-10) Shabir, Haziq; Sharma, PeeyushA field experiment was conducted at Faculty of Agriculture, Sher e Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology of Jammu, during 2020-2022 on sandy clay loam soils. The soilof the experimental field was slightly alkaline in reaction, low in available N and medium in available P and K. The experiment comprised of two cropplanting methods viz.system of riceintensification (SRI) and conventional flooded rice (CFR) assigned to main plots and sixbiochar and polymer treatments viz.T1: B0 P0 (Control), T2: B0P10 (10 kg PAM per hectare), T3: B5P0 (5 tons biochar per hectare), T4: B5P10 (5 tons biochar per hectare + 10 kg PAM per hectare), T5: B10P0 (10 tons biochar per hectare), T6: B10P10 (10 tons biochar per hectare + 10 kg PAM per hectare)assignedto sub-plots replicated thrice. The experiment was laid out in split plot design. Thevariety used was Basmati-370 (Rice) and HD-3086 (Wheat). The application of biochar and PAM accounted for maximum N (239.10 kg ha-1), P (14.23kg ha-1), K (153.75kg ha-1) and uptake of N (84.72kg ha-1), P (23.14kg ha-1), K (106.81kg ha-1) under SRI. However, in wheat, planting methods had no significant effect on available N, P, K and nutrient uptake. The results revealed that grain yield of rice under SRI (2702 kg ha-1) was significantly higher than CFR (2352 kg ha-1) averaged during both the seasons. Among different treatments, the application of biochar and PAM significantly yield attributes as well as root volume in rice wheat system.It was also observed that the SRI along with the combination of B10P10resulted in better water productivity during the course of experimentation. The highest BC ratio was observed in SRI as 1.75 and B10P10 treatment as 1.86.ThesisItem Open Access Impact of Crop Diversification on Soil Quality and System Productivity Under Irrigated Sub-Tropics of Jammu Region(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-11-06) Kaur, Loveneet; Thakur, N.P.A study entitled “Impact of Crop Diversification on Soil Quality and System Productivity Under Irrigated Sub-Tropics of Jammu Region” was carried out at Integrated Farming System (IFS)-Farming System Research Centre (FSR), Chatha of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu after completion of four years of cropping cycle during kharif season of 2022 to assess the effect of ten different cropping systems on soil quality and system productivity. The cropping systems studied were replicated four times in a Randomized Block Design (RBD). Surface (0-15 cm) and sub-surface (15-30 cm) soil samples were collected from all cropping systems from four replications and analysed for different soil properties viz., physical, chemical and biological. The results revealed that among physical soil properties, bulk density (1.26 g cm-3) was significantly lower under Rice (SJR-129)-Potato (Kufri Sindhuri)-Mash (NUL-7) cropping system whereas, water holding capacity (46.28 %) was statistically higher under Rice (Pusa-1121)-Wheat (HD-2967)-GM (Dhaincha) cropping system at surface (0-15 cm) soil only, respectively. Among soil chemical properties, no significant impact of crop diversification was observed for soil pH, EC and DTPA Mn at both surface (0-15 cm) and sub-surface (15-30 cm) soils. However, soil organic carbon (7.60 g kg-1 and 6.90 g kg-1) and soil microbial biomass carbon (122.10 µg g-1 and 115.37 µg g-1) improved significantly at both surface (0-15 cm) and sub-surface (15-30 cm) soils under treatment where Sorghum (MP Chari) +Cowpea (HF-642-1)-Berseem (Mascavi) Fodder cropping system was adopted. Available N(242.48 kg ha-1), P(25.40 kg ha-1) and K(138.40 kg ha-1) were improved significantly under Rice (SJR-129)-Berseem (Mascavi) Fodder-Seed cropping system whereas, DTPA Fe (27.98 mg kg-1), Zn(1.21 mg kg-1) and Cu (0.83 mg kg-1) were significantly higher under Rice (Pusa-1121)-Wheat (HD-2967)-GM (Dhaincha) cropping system at surface (0-15 cm) soil only, respectively. In case of soil biological properties, a significant impact of crop diversification on dehydrogenase activity (13.01 µg TPF 24 h-1 g-1 soil ), alkaline phosphatase activity (3.59 µg nitrophenyl phosphate h-1 g-1 soil), bacterial (10.64 cfu g-1), fungal (4.86 cfu g-1) and actinomycetes (6.82 cfu g-1) count was recorded at surface (0-15 cm) soil depth only under Rice (Pusa-1121)-Wheat (HD-2967)-GM (Dhaincha) cropping system. The overall soil quality index (SQI) at surface soil (0-15 cm) depth was significantly higher (0.92) under Rice (Pusa-1121)-Wheat (HD-2967)-GM (Dhaincha) cropping system and lowest (0.56) was recorded under Rice (B-370)-Wheat (HD-2967) existing cropping system. Among the various cropping systems, the highest Rice equivalent yield (REY) of 141.05 q ha-1, net returns of Rs. 265249 ha-1 with a B:C ratio of 2.29, system profitability of Rs.727 ha-1 day-1 and production efficiency (61.06 kg-1 ha-1 day-1) was realized under Rice (Pusa-1121) - Broccoli (Evergreen)-Okra (Seli special) cropping system. However, highest land use efficiency (LUE) (93.70 %) was observed in Rice (SJR-129)-Gobi Sarson (DGS-1)-Mash (NUL-7) cropping system. Overall study concludes that diversification of crop sequences with legumes and high value low volume crops enhanced system productivity and profitability per unit area and improves soil quality with increase in dehydrogenase activity, water holding capacity, bacterial and fungal count as key indicators of soil quality.ThesisItem Open Access Effect of Inoculation of Phosphate Solublizing Rhizobacteria (PSRB) with Various Phosphorus Sources in Rhizosphere of Black Gram (Vignamungo)(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-11-03) Anuragini; Gupta, RenuWith the growing recognition of the environmental impact caused by chemical phosphate fertilizers, scientific focus has shifted towards sustainable alternatives like harnessing phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB). These beneficial microorganisms have the capability to convert both organic and inorganic insoluble phosphorus compounds into a soluble form of phosphorus, which can be readily taken up by plants. The inherent reactivity of phosphorus often hinders its availability to plants. Therefore, the introduction of PSB through inoculation holds the potential to enhance the efficiency of phosphorus utilization in agricultural landscapes. Despite being a subject of research for numerous decades, effectively manipulating PSB to unlock the increasing reserves of bound phosphorus in soil and to augment crop production on a field scale has not yet undergone comprehensive commercialization.Thepresent study “Effect of Inoculation of Phosphate solubilizingrhizobacteria(PSRB) with various Phosphorus sources in Rhizosphere of Black gram(Vignamungo)” was carried out in pot trialat Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Jammu arranged in factorial CRD with three replications. The treatments consisted of two factorsPhosphorus sources and PSB consortia which comprised of 21 treatment combinations. The various phosphorus sources included P0 (Control), P1(Bone meal), P2(Rock phosphate), P3(KH2PO4), P4(Tri calcium phosphate), P5(Di ammonium phosphate), P6(Mono calcium phosphate) and PSB consortia were as follows B0(control), B1(consortium-1), B2(consortium-2). Seed priming and soilinoculation was done with a combination of phosphorus source and PSB consortia prior to sowing at root zone of seedlings. Black gram seed (PU31)were sown during kharif season of 2022-2023. Application of P sources along with consortium treatment significantly increased available nutrients in rhizosphere of black gram. Non-significant decrease in pH was recorded in all stages of crop growth. Highest available N (90.54 mg kg-1) at flowering stage, (96.63 mg kg-1) at pod formation stage, available P (17.45 mg kg-1) at flowering stage, (18.89 mg kg-1) at pod formation stage stage, available K (95.05 mg kg-1) at flowering stage, (96.86 mg kg-1) at pod formation stage were recorded with treatment P5& Consortium 1 . Highest SMBC (97.54 ug soil-1) at flowering stage and (103.52 µgsoil-1) at pod formation stage and highest dehydrogenase activity (49.27 µg-TPFg-1soil hr-1) at flowering stage, (52.38 µg-TPFg-1soil hr-1) at pod formation stage were recorded with treatment P5 and B1. Maximum grain yield with (27.53 g pot-1) and N uptake (1.03 g pot-1), P uptake (0.18 g pot-1), K uptake (0.73 g pot-1) was recorded with treatment P5in black gram. Among consortium-1 and consortium-2, consortium-1 performed better with phosphorus sources. The use of consortia along with phosphorus sources improved physico-chemical and biological properties of soil as well as morpho-economic traits and quality in terms of phytic acid in black gram.ThesisItem Open Access Effect of LongTerm Manuring and Fertilization on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Forms under Rainfed Conditions(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-11-08) Kour, Karamjot; Singh, BrinderA study was carried out on a pre-existing field laid out at ACRA, Rakh Dhiansar, in randomized block design with ten treatments replicated thrice. The treatments comprised of T1- Control; T2-100% RDF of NPK; T3-50% RDF of NPK; T4-50% N (crop residue);T5-50% N( FYM),T6-50% NPK + 50% N ( crop residues), T7-50% NPK + 50% N (FYM), T8-(FYM) @ 10 tha-1,T9- 100% NPK + ZnSO4 @ 20 kgha-1, andT10- Farmer’s method (FYM @ 4 tha-1+ 40 kg ureaha-1). Soil samples were collected from each treatment at 0-5, 5-15, and 15-30 cm soil depth at the end of the 25th cropping cycle. The results revealed significant increase in available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, and cation exchange capacity with combined application of (FYM) and inorganic fertilizer (T7). The application of (FYM) alone recorded the highest mean value for total nitrogen content (7.75 g kg-1), organic nitrogen (7.67 g kg-1), and SMBN (33.61 mg kg-1) in the 0-5 cm layer. However, the highest values of ammonical nitrogen (51.10 mg kg-1) and nitrate nitrogen (42.47 mg kg-1)were recorded at 0-5 cm soil depth in treatments containing 50% (FYM)in combination with 50% NPK and were found to be insignificant in the sub-surface layer. The significant build-up in soil fertility in terms of total organic carbon, soil organic carbon, labile carbon and SMBC accumulation, was observed in plots treated with FYM @ 10 t ha-1with the corresponding values of (12.75 g kg-1), (5.80 g kg-1), (0.62 g kg-1) and (177.63 g kg-1), in the 0-5 cm soil depth. This was confirmed by the carbon management index, which significantly increased with the addition of (FYM). Overall, organic manure application along with chemical fertilizers could improve soil carbon and nitrogen levels under rainfed conditions.ThesisItem Open Access STUDIES ON POTENTIAL OF BIO–INOCULANTS IN ALLEVIATING DROUGHT STRESS IN TOMATO (SOLANUMLYCOPERSICUM L.)(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, 2023-10-11) Preeti; Rai, Pradeep K.Plants interact with diverse microorganisms including bacteria and fungi that can have positive, negative, or neutral effects on plants. Positive effects arise from symbiotic relationships between plants and microbes. Manipulation of plant-microbe interactions can improve plant performance in applications ranging from climate change mitigation to agricultural production. Tomato (Solanumlycopersicum L.) is a commercially essential crop significantly hampered by drought. To overcome this, bio-inoculants were used for drought tolerance were adopted. This research was conducted as complete randomized design with three replications to evaluate the Studies. On Potential of Bio–Inoculants in Alleviating Drought Stress in Tomato (Solanumlycopersicum L.)in green house under different conditions of water availability i.e.controlled, drought and bio-inoculants treatment. Exogenous bio-inoculants were applied as seedling application at recommended dose 50 ml/litre. The results revealed that bio inoculation perform significant improvement in plant productivity and quality. The soil microbial population was significantly increased with no. of days of incubationtill 10th day then decreased. The plants exposed to water stress exhibited a significant decline in morphological parameters i.e. plant height, number of leaves, shoot fresh & dry weightroot fresh and dry weight whereas significant increase in root length was observed. Similarly physiological traits i.e. leaf area, LMSI and LRWC was significantly decreased under drought stress. While Electrolyte Leakage, was significantly enhanced. However in case of biochemical traits i.e. lipid peroxidation, proline, SOD, APX and CAT were increased but chlorophyll reduced under water deficit condition.A follow-up treatment with bio-inoculants protected against the stress generated by water and showed increasing trends for the morphological traits i.e. plant height, number of leaves, root length, stem/leaf/root fresh & dry weight. AtT6(Consortia of N,P and Zn-Halo Mix) application showed highest enzyme activity i.e. SOD (31.76±2.76 unit min-1 g-1 FW), CAT (73.94±2.70µmol min-1 mg-1 FW) under water deficit. Among the Inoculantsminimum reduction in yield i.e.19.64% was noted in T6(Consortia of N, P and Zn Halo Mix).On the basis of observations, exogenous application of Consortia of N,P and Zn Halo-Mix is recommended to alleviate effects of tomato (Pusa Ruby) under drought condition
