Influence of the Microbes Mediated Organic Production Module on the Yield and Quality of the Khasi Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) in the Upper Brahmaputra Valley Zone
Buddhisatya Dowarah *
Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, Medziphema Campus- 797106, India.
Pauline Alila
Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, Medziphema Campus- 797106, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To find out the effect of microbes mediated organic production modules on the yield and quality of khasi mandarin.
Study Design: Randomised Complete Block Design.
Place and Duration of Study: The present field experiment was carried out at Pangna Gaon, Margherita, Tinsukia district of Assam during 2022 to 2024 and the laboratory work was performed at the Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, Medziphema.
Methodology: It was carried out on 30 years plus old fruit trees with a planting distance of 5m x 5m. During the course of the experiment different doses of organic manures along with microbial consortium were applied in the month of January and September.The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications and each replication consisted of two plants.
Results: The pooled data of two years indicated that application of vermicompost (2kg per plant) along with microbial consortium (100 ml) resulted improvement in yield in comparison to other organic manure soil treatment. Even though the trees were beyond its productive age application of organic manure resulted maximum fruit yield (5.112 t/ha), TSS (9.03⁰ Brix), ascorbic acid (34.76 mg/ 100 ml) and total sugar (6.67 %) and it can also be recommended as the best combination in terms of total cost involvement for the production of khasi mandarin in the upper Brahmaputra valley zone.
Conclusion: It can be stated that vermicompost along with microbial consortium resulted in higher fruit quality attributes and overall yield. It should also be noted that vermicompost along with microbial consortium enhanced or activitated the microbial communities activity present in the rhizospheric region. The benefit: cost ratio was found to be higher also in the soil treatment with vermicompost along with microbial consortium thus making it sustainable for the farmers and also improving the soil health conditions.
Keywords: Khasi mandarin, microbial consortium, organic manure and quality