Foliar spray of micronutrients for yield and quality improvement in Khasimandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco.)

摘要

Citrus is the world's largest grown fruit crop and the third most important fruit crop of India. Among the various citrus species, the most important one is mandarin orange Citrus reticulata Blanco.. One of the natural homes of citrus exhibiting vast variability is the northeastern region of India, formerly eulogized as the -citrus belt of India- Ghosh et a/., 5. The mandarin cultivar that has predominantly been grown in the northeastern region is Khasi mandarin. Despite the high rainfall and poor soil fertility, the overall productivity is found low under Meghalaya conditions owing to various reasons. Plant nutrition is one of the key factors influencing the yield and quality of crop plants Frank, et a/., 4. The importance of plant nutritionin yield enhancement and quality upgradation has been emphasized by Chapman and Kelley 3. Besides the major nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and secondary elements calcium, magnesium and potassium, those elements which are required by the plants in trace amounts micronutrients also play a vital role as essential elements in deciding the growth and development of plants. The citrus decline due to micronutrient deficiency has been reported. The bottlenecks associated with the micronutrient deficiency in Khasi mandarin could be effectively overcome through the application of micronutrients as foliar spray. Therefore, the present study was undertaken with a view of yield and quality improvement in Khasi mandarin.