Vol. 8, Issue 10, Part J (2024)

The experiment was conducted to assess nitrogen management impact on plant growth, fruit yield, and quality and to determine the optimal nitrogen dose for improved productivity and quality of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) for hasta bahar during 2024 at All India Coordinated Research Project on Fruits (Citrus), Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra on 16-year-old acid lime trees spaced 6m x 6m. The soil was medium clay with good drainage. The experiment consists of seven treatments and replicated thrice. All the treatments applied in five splits for better utilization of fertilizers.

Acid lime plant supplied with 50% RDF through soil + 50% RDN through nano urea + 50% P, K through irrigation showed maximum plant canopy (26.76 m³), fruit set percent (89.97), number of fruits plant^-1 (1120), fruit weight plant^-1 (57.36 kg) and fruit yield ha^-1 (15.93 ton), average fruit weight (51.19 g), fruit diameter (46.62 mm), papery peel (0.95 mm), juice percent (52.08), TSS (6.87 ⁰B) and acidity (6.80 %) while, acid lime plant supplied with 100% RDF through irrigation produced early flowering (39.33 days), minimum days required for harvesting (145.90 days) from flowering. However, these treatments are at par with each other for above parameters. Combined applications of nano urea foliar spray and fertigation, was found to be the most efficient and cost-effective, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency, plant performance, and profitability in acid lime cultivation.