Influence of Organic Manures and Foliar Application of Arka Citrus Special on the Growth of Buddlings of Sweet Orange

Abstract

In India, citrus fruits rank third in area and production after Mango and Banana. A study was conducted at the Horticultural Research Station (HRS) Konda Mallepally, Nalgonda district during Rabi, November 2022 - April 2023. The study aimed to test the effects of organic manures and foliar application of Arka Citrus Special on the growth of sweet orange cv. Sathgudi buddlings. The experiment included fourteen treatments with three replications in RBD. It comprised three types of organic manures (FYM, Vermicompost, Neem cake) and Arka Citrus Special (micronutrient formulation). The application of organic manures and micronutrients showed significant differences in plant height (cm), number of leaves, and leaf area (cm2). During 30, 60, 90 and 120 days of observations, the maximum plant height (26.99 cm), stem diameter (1.23 mm), number of leaves (26.00), girth of the plant (19.5 mm), leaf area (11.70 cm2), internodal length (0.260 cm), absolute growth rate (0.42 cm /day) and relative growth rate (0.10 cm /cm /day).