Influence of Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth, Yield and Yield Attributing Parameters of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle)
Saisweta Behera
Department of Fruit Science and Horticulture Technology, College of Agriculture, OUAT, Bhubaneswar-751003, India.
Bijaya Kumar Sethy *
College of Agriculture, OUAT, Chiplima-768025, India.
Ranjan Kumar Tarai
College of Horticulture, OUAT, Chiplima-768025, India.
Subash Chandra Swain
Department of Fruit Science and Horticulture Technology, College of Agriculture, OUAT, Bhubaneswar-751003, India.
Subrat Kumar Mahapatra
College of Horticulture, OUAT, Chiplima-768025, India.
Jingyasha Meher
Krishi Vigyana Kendra,OUAT, Deogarh-768108, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present investigation was conducted during 2025–26 to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield and fruit characteristics of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) cv. Kagzi under the agro-climatic conditions of Western Odisha. The experiment was conducted using five-year-old acid lime trees planted at a spacing of 5 m × 5 m and was laid out in a randomised block design with ten treatments and three replications. The treatments comprised different levels of recommended dose of fertilisers (RDF) in combination with vermicompost and neem cake. The recommended dose of fertiliser was 500:200:300 g N:P:K per plant per year, applied in two split doses. Among the different treatments, T2 comprising 100% RDF + 4 kg vermicompost + 0.5 kg neem cake per plant recorded the highest increase in plant height (29.8 cm), stem girth (1.8 cm), chlorophyll content (1.713), number of fruits per plant (135), fruit weight (43.7 g), yield per plant (5.90 kg) and yield per hectare (2.36 t ha⁻¹). The maximum increase in east-west canopy diameter (24 cm) was recorded in T2 and T5, while the highest increase in north-south canopy diameter (24 cm) was recorded in T5. T2 also recorded the lowest fruit drop (18.2%). Fruit length and width were highest under T1, with values of 4.090 and 3.670 cm, respectively. The improved performance under integrated nutrient management, particularly T2, may be attributed to the balanced and sustained availability of nutrients through the combined application of inorganic and organic nutrient sources. The findings indicate that integrated application of RDF with vermicompost and neem cake can improve vegetative growth, fruit production and yield of acid lime cv. Kagzi under Western Odisha conditions.
Keywords: Acid lime, integrated nutrient management, growth, yield, fruit quality