Integrated Nutrient Management as a Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Strategy for Sustainable Fruit Production in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Prolonged and excessive use of chemical fertilizers has resulted in serious harm to soil health and ecosystems. This study aimed to reduce the cultivation costs for apricot trees, nearly 1/3(rd) of which are spent on fertilizers. The research was conducted on fully grown apricot trees of the cultivar "New Castle," in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The experiment consisted of fourteen treatment combinations evaluated in triplicate and statistically analyzed using a randomized block design (RBD). Results revealed that treatment T-12 [50% Nitrogen (Calcium Nitrate) + 50% Nitrogen (Urea) + Azotobacter + Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria + Vermicompost] resulted in the highest percent increase in tree trunk girth (6.82%), highest leaf chlorophyll content (3.00 mg g(-1) fresh weight), leaf area (58.29 cm), fruit set (61.00%) and total yield (61.9 kg tree(-1)). In terms of nutrient status, T-12 had the highest leaf N (2.95%), leaf K (2.60%), soil N (386.33 kg ha(-1)), soil P (51.00 kg ha(-1)) and soil organic carbon (1.81%). The highest net return and profit over recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) was also recorded in treatment T-12. The results of this study show that judicious fertilizer use along with integrated organic manure and bio-fertilizers can reduce cultivation costs, improve soil health, and increase fruit production with minimum ecosystem damage.