Influence of Integrated Nutrient Management on Soil Health Indicators and Nutrient Dynamics in Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) Cultivation

Abstract

Integrated nutrient management is an important strategy for improving soil health and sustaining crop productivity through the combined use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources. A field experiment was conducted during 2024 and 2025 at the Students' Research Farm, Khalsa College, Amritsar, Punjab, India, to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management on soil health indicators, nutrient dynamics, fruit yield and quality of cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.). The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with eight nutrient management treatments and three replications. The results revealed that 100% of the recommended dose of fertilisers (RDF) (T₂) produced the highest fruit yield (69.04 q acre⁻¹). Among the integrated nutrient management treatments, 50% RDF + 50% recommended N through VC (T₇) recorded a fruit yield of 64.02 q acre⁻¹, which was comparable to T₂ while substantially improving soil fertility. The highest soil organic carbon (0.44 %) was recorded under 50 % recommended N through FYM + 50% recommended N through VC (T₃), whereas the maximum cation exchange capacity (8.93 cmol (+) kg⁻¹ soil) and available nitrogen (233.85 kg ha⁻¹), phosphorus (23.73 kg ha⁻¹) and potassium (276.73 kg ha⁻¹) were obtained under T₇. Soil microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase activity were also significantly enhanced under integrated nutrient management treatments compared with the control. These findings indicate that integrating VC with inorganic fertilisers improves soil health while maintaining crop productivity. Therefore, 50 % RDF + 50 % recommended N through VC (T₇) may be considered a sustainable nutrient management strategy for cantaloupe cultivation, as it provides productivity comparable to the recommended fertiliser dose while enhancing soil quality and reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers. The study was conducted at a single location over two cropping seasons; therefore, further long-term and multi-location studies are required to validate these findings under diverse agro-climatic conditions.