Organic Nutrient Management Affecting Growth and Yield in Strawberry (Fragaria× ananasa Duch.) cv. Flavia under Punjab Conditions

Abstract

The demand for increased food production while minimizing environmental impacts poses a significant challenge for sustainable agricultural intensification. Organic farming is considered eco-friendly but less productive compared to conventional farming. To boost yields, a balanced application of organic manures, bio-fertilizers, and inorganic fertilizers is recommended. However, appropriate combinations of organic sources alone can also meet crop requirements. Therefore, an experiment was conducted at Lovely Professional University, Punjab, to investigate the effect of different organic sources of nutrients, alone or in combinations, on the growth and yield attributes of the strawberry cultivar Flavia. The study comprised ten treatments structured using a randomized block design (RBD). The results indicated that all treatments contributed to increased growth and yield of strawberry compared to the control, but treatment combination including 60% RDN – 30% through Vermicompost (90 g/m2) + 30% through neem cake (45 g/m2) and biochar (800 g/m2) + Panchgavya + VAM each @ 50 mL/plant (T9) resulted in significant increase in vegetative growth parameters viz. plant height (6.7 and 13.33 cm), plant spread EW (15.87 and 24.63 cm), plant spread NS (14.00 and 25.59 cm), and number of trifoliate leaves (5.97 and 17.40) at 45 and 90 days after planting (DAP) respectively. Similarly, this treatment combination also contributed to maximum chlorophyll index (57.90 SPAD), leaf area (48.76 cm2) and stem girth (3.41 cm) along with greater yield and yield attributing parameters such as number of fruits per plant (28.14), average berry weight (16.53 g), yield per plant (447.88 g) and yield efficiency (0.47 kg/cm2) compared to other treatment combinations and control.