Mitigating Fruit Cracking and Premature Dropping in Bael (Aegle marmelos) cv. NB-9 under Subtropical Conditions: Evaluating the Effects of Bio-formulations and Boric Acid

Abstract

The present investigation entitled “Mitigating Fruit Cracking and Premature Dropping in Bael (Aegle marmelos) cv. NB-9 under Subtropical Conditions: Evaluating the Effects of Bio-formulations and Boric Acid” was carried out during the year 2022-2023 at Main Experimental Station, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture & Forestry, A.N.D.U.A.&T., Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj), Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India (Lat 26.540849° Long 81.830421°). Application of various bio-formulations and boric acid with eco-friendly materials to study the various vegetative properties, cracking, fruit drop and effect on the vegetative growth of fruit. The experiment was laid down in randomized block design (RBD) with (12) treatments and (03) replications. The experiment consists of 12 treatments including control, T1 (Control), T2 (FYM 50 Kg), T3 (FYM 100 Kg), T4 (Boric acid 200g), T5 (Boric acid 400g), T6 (Biofertilizer 250g/plant [100g Azotobacter + 100g Biovita + 50g PSB]), T7 (FYM 50Kg + Boric acid 200g), T8 (FYM 50Kg + Boric acid 400g), T9 (FYM 50Kg +Biofertilizer 250g/plant [100g Azotobacter + 100g Biovita + 50g PSB]), T10 (FYM 100Kg + Boric acid 200g), T11 (FYM 100 Kg + Boric acid 400g) and T12 (FYM 100Kg +Biofertilizer 250g/plant [100g Azotobacter + 100g Biovita + 50g PSB]) was used for this study. The results revealed that treatment T7 outperformed the rest with minimum fruit cracking (1.53%), fruit drop (76.20%), the maximum number of flowers per plant (171.19), day-to-flowering (31.38) and yield (181.69 q/ha) was most effective in a vegetative quality and yield point of view. Thus, the treatment combination T7 is therefore recommended for application to Bael trees in subtropical conditions to obtain high yields with better quality fruits.