Effects of Nano DAP and Urea on Growth and Yield of Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

A field experiment was conducted during the spring-summer season of 2024–25 at the Research Farm, Mewar University, Chittorgarh (Rajasthan), to evaluate the effect of nano diammonium phosphate (DAP) and nano urea on the growth, yield, and quality of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) cv. Arka Harit. The experiment followed a Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising 10 treatments and three replications. Treatments included combinations of reduced recommended doses of nitrogen (RDN) and phosphorus (RDP) along with different foliar sprays of nano DAP and nano urea. Results indicated that the application of T9 treatment—50% RDN + full P as basal + three foliar sprays of nano urea—significantly improved growth parameters such as vine length (71.95 cm at 30 DAS and 195.45 cm at 60 DAS), number of leaves (30.33 at 30 DAS and 163.33 at 60 DAS), and branches (8.89). Yield attributes including fruit length (14.00 cm), diameter (4.40 cm), fruits per plant (32.50), average fruit weight (77.40 g), and fruit yield per plant (2.51 kg) were also maximized under T9. Quality traits such as TSS (5.70 °Brix), vitamin C (84.94 mg/100g), and iron content (1.78 mg/100g) recorded their highest values with T9. Economic analysis revealed the highest net return (Rs. 190,052/ha) and B:C ratio (4.13) under the same treatment. The study concludes that the integrated use of reduced chemical fertilizers with nano urea significantly enhances crop performance and profitability while potentially reducing environmental impacts.