Optimizing Growth and Soil Fertility through Integrated Nutrient Management in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Sheetal
Devi Darshan
Department of Agriculture, IIAST, Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Muchapothula Shiva Prasad
Soil Science and Agriculture Chemistry, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, India.
Shahaji D Dhole
Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, VNMKV Parbhani, India.
Mohit Kashyap *
Department of Soil Science, CSK HPKV, Palampur -176062, India.
Durgesh Nandan
Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Sanskriti University, Mathura, India.
Khushal B. Muradi
Department of Vegetable Science Kerala Agriculture University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala, India.
Nidhi Singh
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India.
Pulkit Chawla
Centre for Conservation and Utilization of Blue Green Algae, Division of Microbiology, ICAR-IARI, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Integrated nutrient management (INM) aims to synchronize nutrient supply with crop demand through combined use of organic, inorganic, and biological sources. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of INM on growth, yield, quality, and soil health of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Sheetal. Treatments included control, 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), FYM + 50% RDF, FYM + biofertilizer + 50% RDF, and FYM + biofertilizer + 75% RDF. The combined application of farmyard manure (FYM), biofertilizers, and 75% RDF significantly improved vine length (225 cm), number of leaves per vine (35), leaf area index (3.8), and root biomass (26 g). The same treatment recorded superior fruit yield (6.00 kg/vine) and quality attributes, including higher total soluble solids (4.8 °Brix) and ascorbic acid content (8.8 mg/100g). Soil organic carbon, available nutrients (N, P, K), and microbial biomass C also increased notably under integrated nutrient regimes. The study established that partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with FYM and biofertilizers not only enhanced yield and fruit quality but also sustained soil fertility.
Keywords: Cucumber, integrated nutrient management, biofertilizer, FYM, soil health, fruit quality