Influence of different orchard floor management practices on yield and quality of Kinnow mandarin in sub-mountainous region of Punjab
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Date
2021
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
The present investigations were carried out to ascertain the influence of different
floor management treatments in Kinnow mandarin orchard on weed infestation, soil
microclimate, fruit yield and quality under sub-mountainous zone of Punjab. Six
years old kinnow mandarin plants were subjected to different treatments viz. clean
cultivation, chemical weed management, mowing of weeds, black polyethylene
mulch, silver polyethylene mulch, subabul leaf mulch and control (weedy check).
Although, no weed growth occurred under synthetic mulches (black and silver
polyethylene mulches), but the mulching with leaves of subabul plant; the locally
available wild species in abundance also exhibited significant reduction in grassy
(13.41 m-2) as well as broad leaf weed (17.72 m-2) count and biomass (8.90 and
12.67 gm-2) as compared to grassy and broad leaf weed count of 54.75 and 58.67 -2
and weed biomass of 35.72 and 39.94 gm-2 under control plants, respectively. Soil
micro-climatic parameters in terms of soil moisture (20.93 % and 21.18 %) and soil
temperature (27.69 o C, 27.35 o C) at 10cm and 20 cm depth were recorded maximum
under black polyethylene mulch, respectively. Whereas, the minimum soil moisture
was recorded under control plants. The fruit yield and yield attributing
characteristics were significantly higher under black polyethylene mulch with
maximum fruit retention (3.01 %), fruit number per plant (447.33/plant), fruit size
(6.29 × 7.74 cm), fruit weight (160.13g) and ultimate yield (71.63 kg/plant). Fruit
quality in terms of TSS (10.72˚B), vitamin C (40.28 mg/100g pulp), total sugars
(8.72 %), non-reducing sugars (4.44 %) was also significantly better under black
polythene mulch followed by silver polyethylene mulch and subabul leaf mulch.
Thus, it can be concluded that the black and silver polythene mulches were superior
in terms of weed suppression, soil moisture conservation, sustained soil
temperature, improving fruit yield and quality of Kinnow. However, subabul leaf
mulch was economically more feasible as an orchard floor management practice for
kinnow orchards under sub- mountainous region of Punjab.
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Citation
Harmanjot Singh (2021). Influence of different orchard floor management practices on yield and quality of Kinnow mandarin in sub-mountainous region of Punjab (Unpublished M.Sc. thesis). Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.