RESPONSE OF INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT IN STRAWBERRY (FRAGARIA × ANANASSA D.)

Integrated Nutrient Management involves efficient and judicious supply of all major and micronutrients on a sustainable basis. An experiment was conducted at the pomology research farm, Department of Horticulture, Allahabad Agricultural Institute-Deemed University, Allahabad during winter (November-March) of 2006-2007 to study the response of Integrated Nutrient Management on growth, yield and quality of strawberry. Experimental design was a randomized block with 15 treatments replicated thrice. Treatments comprising recommended fertilizers rate considered as control (N:P:K - 100:80:60 kg.ha^-1), Farmyard manure (20 t.ha-1), vermicompost (5 t.ha^-1), poultry manure (5 t.ha^-1), rhizosphere bacteria culture (4 kg.ha^-1) alone and in combination with different reducing levels of recommended fertilizers rate. The yield of strawberry was statistically at par with 75% recommended fertilizers rate +25% vermicompost + rhizosphere bacteria culture in comparison to other treatments. Quality parameters of strawberry were increased with decreasing level of chemical fertilizers. Maximum plant spread (32.37 cm) and fruits per plant (8.77), fruit yield per hectare (8.07 t), shelf life (3.95 days), were recorded with 75% recommended fertilizers rate + 25% vermicompost + rhizosphere bacteria culture treatment, while maximum plant height (20.35 cm) and acidity (0.83%) were associated 75% recommended fertilizers rate + 25% vermicompost.