Vol. 5 (1) : January-February 2014 issue
Green Farming Vol. 5 (1) : 123-125 (January-February, 2014)
Influence of drip fertigation on growth, yield and quality of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt )
G. VAIDEHI1*, S. SUBRAMANIAN2 and P. PARAMAGURU3
Deptt. of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore – 641 003 (Tamil Nadu)
Designation : 1Ph.D. Scholar *(vaidehispices@gmail.com), 2Professor, 3Professor & Head
Subject : Horticulture (Spices, Ornamental & Plantation Crops, Floriculture and Landscape Architecture etc.)
Paper No. : P-1044
Total Pages : 3
Received : 22 July 2013
Revised accepted : 14 December 2013
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Citation :
G. VAIDEHI, S. SUBRAMANIAN and P. PARAMAGURU. 2014. Influence of drip fertigation on growth, yield and quality of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt ). Green Farming Vol. 5 (1) : 123-125 (January-February, 2014)
ABSTRACT
Field experiment was conducted at Horticultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore during 2011-2012 to study the effect of drip fertigation of N, P and K with micronutrients. The results revealed that the fertigation treatments were significantly superior over the control. Among the treatments, application of NPK @ 100% RDF through fertigation using water soluble fertilizers + micronutrients registered the highest values for growth characters like plant height (4.68m), tree girth (56.22cm), tree spread north-south (4.24m) and east-west (3.49m) and specific leaf weight (1.16g cm2) at fruit development stage. The performance of 75% RDF by fertigation with water soluble fertilizers and micronutrients was on par with 100% RDF through fertigation using water soluble fertilizers + micronutrients for observed growth and yield parameters. The yield parameters like seed weight (8.01g), mace weight (3.44g), pericarp weight (54.48g), fruit weight (65.93g) and fruit yield plant-1 (121.37 kg) were the highest in 100% RDF through fertigation using water soluble fertilizers + micronutrients. The estimated fruit yield was the highest in 100% RDF through fertigation using water soluble fertilizers + micronutrients (18933.72 kg ha-1) and it was followed by with 75% level of N,P and K by fertigation using water soluble fertilizers with micronutrients (18120.96 kg ha-1). Higher values for the quality parameters viz., nut oil (9.22%), mace oil (9.81%), nut oleoresin (2.78%) and mace oleoresin (13.10%) were also high in 100% RDF through fertigation using water soluble fertilizers + micronutrients. Soil application of 100% RDF with flood irrigation without micronutrients (control) registered the lowest fruit yield of (54.35kg per plant-1).
Key words :
Growth attributes, Drip fertigation, Micronutrients, Myristica fragrans, Nutmeg, Yield & quality.