Assessment of Spacing and Fertigation Schedule of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Under Ultra High Density Planting System

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Date
2013
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MPUAT, Udaipur
Abstract
The present investigation entitled “Assessment of spacing and fertigation schedule of guava (Psidium guajava L.) under ultra high density planting system” was conducted during two consecutive years 2010-11 and 2011-12 at Instructional Farm, Department of Horticulture, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with four replications for assessment of spacing and Factorial Randomized Block Design with four replications for irrigation and fertigation scheduling. One year old seedlings of guava cv. ‘L- 49’, were planted at five different spacings (1.0 x 1.5, 1.5 x 1.5, 2.0 x 1.0, 2.0 x 1.5 and 2.0 x 2.0 m) for assessment of spacing and for ‘fertigation and irrigation scheduling’ four year old guava cv. ‘Lalit’ plants of uniform size and growth planted at spacing of 2.0 x 1.0 m were selected as experimental material. The experiment comprised 15 treatment combinations which included three irrigation levels i.e., 50 per cent irrigation of PE (I1), 75 per cent irrigation of PE (I2) and 100 per cent irrigation of PE (I3) along with five fertigation levels i.e., 45, 15, 30 g NPK plant-1 year-1 (F1), 90, 30, 60 g NPK plant-1 year-1 (F2), 135, 45, 90 g NPK plant-1 year-1 (F3), 180, 60, 120 g NPK plant-1 year-1 (F4) and 225, 75, 150 g NPK plant-1 year-1 (F5) were used in the present study. The treatment of different irrigation levels were given from June to March and fertigation levels were as per treatments through water soluble fertilizer grade (WSF-19:19:19) in 5 splits from fruit set to maturity stage and remaining nitrogen and potassium dose was supplemented through urea and MOP respectively. * Research Scholar, Department of Horticulture, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur (Raj.). ** Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur (Raj.). Vegetative growth characters of guava plant not much influenced at the early stage by plant density however, at later stage it is significantly influenced by spacing treatments. Mean maximum shoot gain (46.7, 67.1 & 76.5 cm respectively) and (53.7, 77.2 & 90.4 cm respectively) at 60, 120 and 180 days second to third pruning (Sept., 2011 to Feb., 2012) and third to fourth (Feb., 2012 to Sept., 2012) respectively recorded under treatment T1 (2.0 x 2.0 m) and minimum recorded under treatment T5 (1x1.5 m). Similarly, after two year of planting maximum plant spread (1.19 m, E-W & 1.32 m, N-S), stem girth (3.75 cm), leaf area (95.18, 87.34 and 97.16 cm2, second, third and fourth pruning, respectively), light interception below canopy (356 μ Mol / m2 S), flowers plant-1 (88.40), number of fruits plant-1 (17.20), fruit weight (77.50 g), yield plant-1 (1.32 kg) and TSS/acid ratio (33.14) were recorded under 2.0 x 2.0 m spacing and minimum under 1.0 x 1.5 m spacing whereas, maximum plant height (1.58 m), LAI (3.29) and estimated yield (5.72 t ha-1) were recorded under 1.0 x 1.5 m spacing. Further, tree spaced at 2.0 x 1.0 m produced significantly higher fruit weight and yield ha-1 with satisfactory fruit quality and accommodate optimum plant per unit area. The result revealed that growth, yield and quality of fruits were significantly affected by different fertigation and irrigation levels. Among the different irrigation levels maximum vegetative growth, leaf P content (0.259%), pectin content (0.678%), soil moisture distribution at 0- 20 cm (25.97%) and 20- 40 (21.99%) were recorded under I3 (100% irrigation of PE) level, while polar diameter of fruit (5.56 cm), fruit weight (89.06 g), pulp weight (64.88 g), yield tree-1 (5.82 kg) and nutrients uptake were recorded maximum under I2 (75% irrigation of PE) level. Further, highest WUE was recorded under I1 (50% irrigation of PE) level. Further, fertigation revealed that growth parameters of guava trees and leaf nutrients status of guava leaves were gradually stimulated with increasing levels of fertigation and maximum plant spread E-W (1.90 m), leaf area (73.03 cm2), leaf N (1.95%) and K (1.291%) were obtained from F5 level (225, 75, 150 g NPK plant-1 year-1). Further, maximum number of flowers shoot-1, polar diameter of fruit, TSS (11.27%), ascorbic acid (216.55 mg/100g pulp), total sugar (8.27%) and pectin content (0.728%) and minimum acidity (0.553%) were obtained from F3 (135, 45, 90 g NPK plant-1 year-1) and maximum fruit set (56.96%), fruit retention (62.33%), equatorial diameter of fruit (5.65 cm), fruit (89.86 g), pulp (66.95 g) and seed (4.71 g) weight, pulp seed ratio (14.25), number of fruits plant-1 (84.63), yield (6.68 kg plant-1 & 31.10 t ha-1), WUE (797.03 kg ha-1 cm-1) and NPK uptake (597.36, 79.98 & 389.40 kg ha-1, respectively) were recorded in F4 (180, 60, 120 g NPK plant-1 year-1), however treatment F3 and F4 were found statistically at par with each other in most of the above parameters except in yield tree-1, estimated yield ha-1, WUE and P uptake. Fertilizer use efficiency showed increasing trend with decreasing fertilizer dose and maximum (54.21 kg ha-1) recorded under F1 (45, 15, 30 g NPK plant-1 year-1) in pooled data analysis. Among the different treatment combinations, I3F5 resulted in maximum shoot gain after (39.90 cm), plant spread (1.72 m, N-S), canopy volume (1.265 m3) and P content in leaves (0.280%), further, maximum fruit weight (96.91 g), pulp weight (70.84 g), pulp: seed ratio (14.96), number of fruit plant-1 (77.70), yield plant-1 (6.75 kg), estimated yield ha-1 (33.75 t), N (652.92 kg ha-1), P (86.15 kg ha-1) and K uptake (425.08 kg ha-1) were obtained under I2F4 while, number of flowers (47.60), polar diameter of fruit (5.47) were recorded maximum under I2F3. However, in all the above parameters treatment combination I2F4 and I2F3 found statistically at par with each other. Further, maximum WUE (1038.50 kg ha-1 cm-1) was recorded under I1F4 treatment combination. As far as relative economics of the treatment is concerned, interaction of I2F3 obtained maximum net return (` 2, 79,081.08) which was at par with I2F4. Further, maximum B: C ratio 2.64 recorded in I1F1 and I2F1 followed by 2.62 in I3F1. However, there is no significance difference noted between treatment combination I1F1, I2F1 and I3F1 in respect of B: C ratio. Therefore, 75 per cent irrigation of PE level along with fertigation (135, 45, 90 g NPK plant-1 year-1) through drip is recommended for sustainable higher yield, quality and economical guava production under ultra high density planting.
Description
Assessment of Spacing and Fertigation Schedule of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Under Ultra High Density Planting System
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Citation
Kumawat and Sarolia, 2013
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