Effect of Nano-urea on Performance of Strawberry (Fragaria × Ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during 2022–23 at the Horticulture Farm, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan. The study was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications to evaluate the impact of nano-urea on the growth, fruiting, and yield of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn. The experiment comprised seven treatment combinations, that consists 100% Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN) applied through soil application of urea; 50% RDN through soil application of urea combined with two foliar applications of nano-urea at concentrations of 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4%; and 100% RDN through soil application of urea supplemented with one foliar spray of nano-urea at concentrations of 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4%. The treatment receiving 100% RDN through soil application along with a single foliar spray of 0.4% nano-urea recorded the maximum values for plant height (23.63 cm), leaf area (123.60 cm²), plant dry weight (46.33 g), fruit length (62.27 mm), fruit diameter (43.13 mm), yield per plot (8.73 kg), and yield per hectare (19.39 t). Hence, it can be concluded that the application of 100% RDN through urea, combined with one foliar spray of 0.4% nano-urea, is the most effective treatment for enhancing the overall growth and yield performance of strawberry.