Improving Fruit Quality and Yield in Daisy Mandarin Cultivar by Foliar Application of Manganese and Iron
Bindia
*
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo (Punjab), 151302, India.
Navdeep Singh
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo (Punjab), 151302, India.
Gurdeep Singh
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo (Punjab), 151302, India.
M.K. Kaul
SKRAU Bikaner, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In a study at Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, Punjab, evaluated the effects of foliar-applied manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) on the Daisy mandarin cultivar. Manganese sulphate (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%) and ferrous sulphate (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%) were applied individually and in combination, using a Randomized Block Design with sixteen treatments, four replications, and sixty-four treatment combinations. The combination of 0.3% MnSO₄ + 0.2% FeSO₄ significantly improved fruit length (138.0 mm), juice content (39.18%), vitamin C (39.97 mg/100g), and fruit firmness (14.9 kg/cm²) compared to the control. The highest TSS (12.75 °Brix) was observed with 0.2% MnSO₄, however, 0.3% MnSO₄ + 0.3% FeSO₄ maximized fruit weight (156.87 g), fruit number (480.5), and yield (75.37 kg/plant).
Keywords: Manganese sulphate, ferrous sulphate, fruit quality, yield, vitamin C, TSS