Response of peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) cv. red June to different nitrogen regimes through neem coated urea and foliar application of calcium under Kumaun Hills of Uttarakhand
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Date
2017-12
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
The present investigation was conducted in two consecutive year’s viz., 2016 and 2017 at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (ICAR- VPKAS, Almora) Kafligair- Bageshwar (Uttarakhand). Six years old peach cv. Red June trees raised on seedling rootstocks and planted at 3m x 3m spacing were selected
for the study. There were ten treatments i.e., 375g N per tree + 0.5% Ca Cl2 (T1), 375g N tree-1 + 1.0% Ca Cl2 (T2), 375g N tree-1 + 1.5% Ca Cl2 (T3), 500g N tree-1 + 0.5% Ca Cl2 (T4), 500g N tree-1 + 1.0% Ca Cl2 (T5), 500g N tree-1 + 1.5% Ca Cl2 (T6), 625g N tree-1 + 0.5% Ca Cl2 (T7), 625g N tree-1 + 1.0% Ca Cl2 (T8), 625g N tree-1 + 1.5% Ca Cl2 (T9), 500g N tree-1 + Water spray as control (T10). Calcium chloride sprays were applied thrice; first at petal fall stage and other two at 25 days interval. Whole of the nitrogen was applied through neem coated urea. Each treatment was replicated thrice with one tree served as a treatment unit. The experiment was conducted in RBD. The observations were recorded for vegetative growth, fruit yield, quality, storability at ambient conditions, leaf and soil nutrient status and economic analysis was also worked out. The maximum annual shoot growth extension, increase in trunk girth and weight of pruning wood were measured under T8 with the respective values of 60.53 cm, 2.17 cm, 4.07 kg in 2016 and 63.07 cm, 2.67 cm, 4.20 kg in 2017. The highest fruit yield was obtained under T5 (23.92 kg tree-1 in 2016 and 24.64 kg tree-1 in 2017) and statistically it was at par to T2 and T6 in first year and T2, T3 and T6 in second year. The lowest fruit yield of 17.41 kg tree-1 in 2016 and 18.52 kg tree-1 in 2017 was recorded in treatment T7. Fruit firmness at harvest did not show significant change under various treatments during both the year of study. However, T2 and T5 came out as the treatments having maximum fruit firmness. The maximum TSS (11.27 0Brix in 2016 and 11.10 0Brix in 2017), TSS – Acid ratio (11.82 in 2016 and 11.45 in 2017), total sugars (7.877% in 2016 and 7.760% in 2017) and ascorbic acid (3.747 mg/100 g in 2016 and 3.700 mg/100 g in 2017) were estimated under treatment T2. The maximum calcium pectate content was estimated under T3 (0.953% in 2016 and 0.965% in
2017) and statistically it was at par to T2. All the antioxidant assays viz., total polyphenols, DPPH radicals, ABTS radicals and total antioxidant activity affected adversely with increase in nitrogen fertilization levels. The maximum pectin methyl esterase activity (22.240 units and 22.573 units in 2016 and 2017, respectively) was estimated under control (T10), while the minimum was found in treatment T2 that remained statistically at par to T3. The treatment T2 and T3 favourably maintained fruit firmness during the course of storage at ambient conditions with mean values of 0.948 kg/mm2 and 0.949 kg/mm2 in 216 and 2017, respectively, while the minimum fruit firmness on all the storage
intervals was measured under control (T10). Treatment T2 also showed better organoleptic acceptability and good storability at ambient conditions. The applied treatments also affected the leaf nutrient status (N, P, K and Ca) significantly. However, among soil nutrients, the significant change was only estimated for available soil N. The application of calcium chloride @ 1.5% caused marginal leaf scorching, while other two concentrations (0.5% and 1.0%) were safe. The highest benefit - cost ratio was computed in treatment T2 (2.99), whereas the minimum was estimated with T10 (1.71). Therefore, nitrogen application @ 375 g per tree through neem coated urea and three foliar
application of 1.0 per cent calcium chloride along with traditionally practiced doses of 40 kg tree-1 FYM, 250 g phosphorus tree-1 and 500 g potassium tree-1 may be recommended for full grown peach cv. Red June trees under Kumaun Hills of Uttarakhand, where most of the peach orchards are managed under closer spacing.
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