Mango fruit quality plays a significant role in fruit storage. It also directly affects the economic value of fruit in the national and international markets. However, deterioration of soil health due to low organic matter is a major hurdle for mango growers. Scientists suggest incorporation of organic matter. However, high temperature and low precipitation lead to oxidation of organic residues in soil. On the other hand, biochar is gaining the attention of growers due to its resistance against decomposition. It can improve soil physicochemical attributes. Limited literature is available regarding biochar effects on the quality attributes of mango. Therefore, the current study was planned to investigate the effects of acidified biochar on mango quality and yield attributes in alkaline soil. Five levels of biochar, i.e., 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 Mg/ha, were applied in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Results showed that 20 and 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar significantly enhanced fruit retention, sugar contents, ash contents and TSS of mango compared to control. A significant increase in mango fruit weight and yield per plant validated the efficacious role of 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar over control. Furthermore, the maximum significant decrease in fruit juice acidity signified the imperative functioning of 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar in alkaline soil. In conclusion, 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar application can improve mango quality and yield attributes in alkaline soil. More investigations on different soil types, climatic zones and mango varieties are recommended to declare 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar as the best treatment for improvement in the quality and yield of mango fruit in alkaline soils.

This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record.

Production of disease-free potato mini-tubers in a controlled environment can be important in enhancing crop yield. This study was designed to investigate potato mini-tuber production from micro-tuber at different potato cultivar and different planting bed in greenhouse conditions based on completely randomized design with three replications. The first factor consisted of potato cultivars : Agria, Savalan, Sante and Spirit and the second factor included planting beds including zeolite, punch, Vintrashtayn peat moss, Vintrashtayn peat moss: zeolite (1:1), Vintrashtayn Peat moos : punch (1:1). In this study, plant height, leaf number, stem diameter, leaf area index, chlorophyll content were evaluated. Results indicated there is significant difference among different planting beds and different cultivar regarding plant height, number of stems per plant, number of leaves per plant and the interaction cultivar vs. planting bed regarding tuber number and mini -tubers weight per square meter at 1% level of probability. The greates plant height was observed in Sante and Peat Moss : zeolite (1:1). The greatest and the least number of leaves per plant was observed at Spirit and Agria, respectively. In addition, among different planting bed the highest and the least number of leaves per plant was observed at peat moss : zeolite (1:1) and pure peat moss.