EVALUATION OF DYNAMIC SUBSTRATES UNDER INTEGRATED PLANT NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT AFFECTING GROWTH YIELD AND QUALITY OF LITCHI (LITCHI CHINENSIS SONN.)

The evaluation study on substrate dynamics under integrated plant nutrient management carried out for three years (2004-05 to 2006-07) at farmers field by National Research Centre for Litchi, Muzaffarpur, Bihar comprising of biofertilizers (Azospirillum, Azotobactor, Aspergillus, Trichoderma and Pseudomonas) conjointly with chemical fertilizers and organic manures on canopy spread, bearing behavior, yield and quality as well as soil chemical properties and cv. Shahi an important commercial and early variety of 14 years old in 2003 was used for the study. The three years cumulative results revealed that the treatment having Azotobactor (250 g tree^-1) with half of the recommended dose of chemical fertilizer and 50 kg of FYM proved to be the most dynamic substrate to record maximum fruit yield (96.66 kg tree^-1) categorizing maximum percentage of quality fruits under superior grade i.e. extra class (42.75%). This treatment also recorded better canopy spread, fruit weight and bearing (fruits/panicle) of heavier fruits though found at par with control i.e. the treatment having only chemical fertilizer which recorded fruit yield of 94.50 kg tree^-1 categorizing less percentage of quality fruits under superior grade i.e. extra class (32.10%) suggesting a possibility for reducing N, P and K fertilizer dose to the tune of 50% and making quality litchi production economically more viable. Physicochemical characteristics as recorded in different treatments showed higher values in substrate having biofertilizer in particular. The effect of treatments on available N, P and K status of the soil was found profoundly influenced at the end of experimentation and was appreciably higher particularly in case of treatments having biofertilizers when compared to the initial status.