Synergistic Organic-inorganic Nutrient Management Enhances Fruit Quality Attributes of Tomato cv. Kashi Aman

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the Horticultural Experiment Field, Department of Horticulture, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effects of integrated organic and inorganic nutrient management on selected fruit quality attributes of tomato cv. Kashi Aman. The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design with three replications and ten treatments comprising different combinations of farmyard manure, vermicompost, and recommended doses of inorganic fertilisers. The treatments included an absolute control, individual organic sources, the full recommended dose of fertiliser, and different integrated nutrient combinations. Fruit quality parameters, including total soluble solids, lycopene content, ascorbic acid content, and fruit pH, were recorded and statistically analysed. The results showed that integrated nutrient application influenced the quality attributes of tomato fruits. Among the treatments, T9, consisting of vermicompost at 3 t/ha, farmyard manure at 6.25 t/ha, and 25% of the recommended dose of fertiliser, recorded the highest total soluble solids (5.12 °Brix), lycopene content (2.31 mg/100 g), and ascorbic acid content (19.06 mg/100 g). The same treatment also recorded the lowest fruit pH (4.04). The absolute control recorded comparatively lower values for total soluble solids, lycopene content, and ascorbic acid content. These findings indicate that combining organic manures with a reduced level of inorganic fertiliser may improve selected quality attributes of tomato cv. Kashi Aman under the conditions of the present study.