Influence of Organic, Inorganic and Biofertilizer Inputs on Morphological, Yield and Fruit Quality Traits of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) cv. L-49 in Malwa Region of Punjab

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted from May, 2024 to February, 2025 at Arayanwala Khurd, Faridkot, Punjab with an aim to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield and soil health of guava. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with 16 treatments and four replications on nine-year-old trees planted at 6×6 m² spacing. Treatments included combinations of recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF: 600:300:300 g NPK tree^-1), vermicompost, Azotobacter, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and mustard oil cake (MOC). The results revealed that integration of organic manures and biofertilizers with reduced chemical fertilizers significantly improved vegetative growth, flowering, yield and soil properties compared to control and sole inorganic fertilizer application. Among all treatments, T₁₄ (75% RDF+10 kg vermicompost+50 g Azotobacter+50 g PSB+5 kg MOC) recorded the highest increase in tree height (17.73%), stem girth (11.87%), crown spread (17.57%), number of branches (17.85%), leaves shoot^-1 (63.79%), shoot length (46.77%) and shoot diameter (14.87%). It also produced maximum flowers (212.50 tree^-1), fruit weight (188.60 g), fruit yield (25.90 kg tree^-1) and yield (7.17 t ha^-1), significantly higher than control. Soil properties were also improved, with higher organic carbon (0.59%), available nitrogen (322.50 kg ha^-1), phosphorus (39.75 kg ha^-1), potassium (318.50 kg ha^-1) and reduced electrical conductivity (0.34 dS m^-1).