Effect of organic manure and nitrogen on growth yield and quality of kinnow mandarin in sandy soils of hot arid region

The findings of present investigation revealed that the application of 80 kg farm yard manure (FYM) per plant significantly increased trunk diameter (9.47%), fruit yield (25.22 kg/tree), number of fruits (212.75 fruits/tree), average fruit weight (118.22 g), fruit diameter (5.96 cm), fruit length (5.58 cm), volume of fruit (129.71 cc), peel weight (32.95 g), weight of sacs (85.27 g), juice percentage (48.30%), TSS (12.11 °B), ascorbic acid (26.37 mg/100 g edible portion), total sugar (6.63%), reducing sugar (2.92%), non-reducing sugar (3.71%), juice acidity (0.79%) (significantly minimum), phosphorus soil at 15 to 30 cm depth (12.50%), soil potassium at 0 to 15, 15 to 30 and 30 to 60 cm depths (0.74, 2.27 and 0.75%, respectively), leaf nitrogen (28.17%), leaf potassium (6.28%), leaf zinc (27.88%), leaf iron (5.47%) and minimum 29.92 days to 75% flowering, 52.58 days to fruit set at initial stage and 6.33% fruit drop at maturity. Whereas, application of FYM 60 kg per plant gave maximum B:C ratio (2.30) and net return (38472.31 Rs/ha). The application of 750 g nitrogen per plant gave significant maximum trunk diameter (8.99%), average weight (118.19 g), diameter (6.06 cm) and length of fruit (5.53 cm), peel weight (33.38 g), weight of sacs (84.80 g), volume of fruit (132.31 cc), titrable acidity (0.83%), leaf nitrogen (25.25%), leaf zinc (24.37%), leaf iron (3.46%) and minimum 55.60 days to fruit set at initial stage and 6.79% fruit drop at maturity. While the application of 500 g nitrogen per plant increased number of fruits (204.20 per plant), yield (23.19 kg per plant, TSS (11.37 °B), ascorbic acid (25.66 mg/100 g edible portion), total sugar (6.30%), reducing sugar (2.83%), non-reducing sugar (3.48%), B:C ratio (2.55), net return (39212.93 Rs./ha) and minimum 31.33 days to 75% flowering. The combined application of 80 kg FYM and 750 g nitrogen per plant led to significant increase in plant height (15.20%), spread (N-S, 18.03%; E-W, 18.99%), canopy volume (81.81%), soil nitrogen at different depths (0 to 15 cm, 41.78%; 15 to 30 cm, 51.36% and 30 to 60 cm, 27.71%) over initial level.