Integrated Nutrient Management Enhances Growth, Floral Productivity, Postharvest Quality, and Economic Returns in African Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda

Le résumé fourni par la source

A field experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Research Farm–I, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, during the Rabi season of 2021–2022 to evaluate the effects of integrated nutrient management on the growth, flowering, yield, seed production, postharvest behaviour, and economics of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda. The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design comprising eleven nutrient-management treatments, each replicated three times. The treatments included different combinations of the recommended dose of fertilisers (RDF), farmyard manure (FYM), and the biofertilisers Azospirillum and phosphate-solubilising bacteria (PSB). Among the treatments, 100% RDF (130:90:100 kg N:P:K ha⁻¹) + 100% FYM (26 t ha⁻¹) + Azospirillum + PSB, each at 6 kg ha⁻¹ (T₉), produced the best overall performance. Treatment T₉ recorded the maximum plant height (100.91 cm), stem girth (5.82 cm), number of branches per plant (23.15), plant spread (70.92 cm), and total dry matter production (84.90 g plant⁻¹) at harvest. It also resulted in earlier flower-bud initiation (31.35 days) and 50% flowering (56.32 days), a longer flowering duration (44.51 days), the maximum flower diameter (7.25 cm), number of flowers per plant (38.74), flower pickings per plot (7.98), flower weight (6.91 g), flower yield per plant (274.72 g), and flower yield (14.47 t ha⁻¹). The same treatment recorded the highest number of seeds per flower (285.50), seed yield per flower (1.77 g), seed yield per plant (26.87 g), and test weight (2.98 g). Although the integrated nutrient treatments did not significantly influence vase life or shelf life, T₉ recorded the highest numerical values for vase life (5.99 days) and shelf life under open conditions (2.96 days) and under a polythene cover (4.86 days). Economically, T₉ registered the highest gross return (Rs. 148,504 ha⁻¹), net return (Rs. 95,797 ha⁻¹), and benefit–cost ratio (1.81). The study therefore demonstrated that the integrated application of inorganic fertilisers, FYM, and biofertilisers effectively improved the productivity, seed production, and economic returns of African marigold cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.