Abstract
The present investigation was carried out to assess the impact of different orchard floor management practices on growth, yield, leaf and soil nutrients in nectarine cv. Snow Queen. The maximum increase in annual shoot growth (65.05 cm), trunk girth (11.17%), tree height (13.25%), tree volume (41.10%), yield (59.59% was recorded under black polythene mulch. Maximum leaf area (31.40 cm2) and total chlorophyll (2.62 mg/g fresh weight) were observed under bicolour polythene mulch. Maximum leaf macro nutrient [N (2.73 %), P (0.22%), K (2.17%), Ca (1.90%), Mg (0.59%), soil nutrient [available N (355.92 kg/ha), P (40.74 kg/ha), K (367.78 kg/ha), exchangeable Ca (2.86 cmol (P+)/kg) and Mg (2.91 cmol (P+) /kg)] and soil organic carbon (2.09%) content were recorded under grass mulch. Black polythene mulch and bicolour polythene mulches are the best orchard floor management options for rainfed areas of Himachal Pradesh.
Publisher
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture
Subject
Agronomy and Crop Science
Reference17 articles.
1. Bhat D J and Khokhar U U. 2009. Effect of orchard floor management practices on nutrient status and micro-biological activities in apricot orchard. Journal of Research, SKUASTJ 8: 50–7.
2. Chapman H D. 1964. Suggested foliar sapling and handling technique for determining the nutrient status of some field, horticultural and plantation crops. Indian Journal of Horticulture 21: 91–119.
3. Forge T, Neilsen G, Neilsen D, Gorman D O and Hogue E. 2015. Organic orchard soil management practices affect soil biology and organic matter. Acta Horticulturae 1076: 77–4.
4. Gomez L A and Gomez AA. 1984. Statistical Procedure for Agriculture Research, 680p, 3rd ed. John Wiley and Sons, Singapore.
5. Hiscox J D and Israelstam G F. 1979. A method for the extraction of chlorophyll from leaf tissue without maceration. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 45: 1711–9.