Effect of Integrated Sources of Nutrients and Foliar Application of Micro-nutrients on Growth, Flowering and Yield of Marigold Cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda

Abstract

Thesis Title:"Effect of integrated sources of nutrients and foliar application of micronutrients on growth, flowering and yield of Marigold cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda" The field experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Research Centre (HRC) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Modipuram, Meerut (India), during 2021–22 in a randomised block design (RBD) with three replications to study the effect of integrated sources of nutrients and foliar application of micronutrients on growth, flowering, and yield of Marigold cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda. A total of twelve treatment combinations containing various integrated doses of nutrients with different concentrations of micronutrients were applied in the study. Among the treatments, plants treated with T2- 100% RDF (NPK @ 150:100:100 kg/ha) +foliar spray of @ 0.5% ZnSO4 resulted in maximum plant height and plant spread, while the greater number of branches per plant and maximum total dry matter were recorded under the treatment T6- 75% RDF (NPK @ 112:75:75 kg/ha) + FYM (4 t/ha) + VC (1.5 t/ha) + foliar spray of @ 0.5% ZnSO4 + @ 0.5% FeSO4. In flowering parameters, minimum days to first flowering, maximum duration of flowering, number of flowers per plant, maximum weight of flower per plant, and maximum petal weight were recorded in T6- 75% RDF (NPK @ 112:75:75 kg/ha) + FYM (4 t/ha) + VC (1.5 t/ha) + foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.5% FeSO4, while the maximum flower diameter was observed under the treatment T2- 100% RDF (NPK @ 150:100 kg/ha) +foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4. In terms of yield parameters, the maximum flower yield per plant, flower yield per hectare, and seed yield per flower were recorded under the treatment T6-75% RDF (NPK @ 112:75:75 kg/ha) + FYM (4 t/ha) + VC (1.5 t/ha) + foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.5% FeSO4. On the basis of the above findings, it was suggested that treatment consisting of T6- 75% RDF (NPK @ 112:75:75 kg/ha) + FYM (4 t/ha) + VC (1.5 t/ha) + foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.5% FeSO4 may be recommended for better yield of marigold, especially for Western U.P. condition.