ORGANIC NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT IN HIGH DENSITY GUAVA ORCHARD

An investigation was carried out under sub-tropical condition of West Bengal, India to standardize the organic nutrient management protocol of ‘Sardar’ guava under high density (625 plants per ha) planting. Different organic sources of nutrients (neem cake, vermicompost, farm yard manure and poultry manure) and biofertilizers (azotobacter and azospirillium) were tried. The results revealed that application of neem cake along with azotobacter significantly increased yield, fruit size and improve quality of fruit. The treatment also showed the maximum cost/benefit ratio of 3.18 compared with 1.48 in control. Application of organic manures along with bio¬fertilizers substantially increased soil microbial population which improved soil health and thereby the growth and productivity of the tree.