Effect of Different Sources of Concentrated Organic Inputs and Bio-Fertilizers on Growth, Yield and Quality of Broccoli cv Calabrese

Broccoli, scientifically known as Brassica oleracea L. var. italica, is an important cool-season vegetable crops belonging to the family Brassicaceae or Cruciferae. Organic broccoli farming is an eco-friendly approach that ensures sustainable agricultural practices for consistent and resilient production by improving resistance against various pests and environmental challenges. Two consecutive years of field experiment was conducted during the rabi seasons of 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 comprising of twenty-one treatments with different sources of concentrated organic inputs along with bio-fertilizers by cultivar calabrese laid out in two factorial Randomized Block Design replicated by three times. The treatment combinations were consisted of seven different organic inputs viz. T1- neem cake @ 1 t ha-1, T2-mustard cake @ 1 t ha-1, T3- neem cake @ 0.75 t ha-1, T4- mustard cake @ 0.75 t ha-1, T5- neem cake @ 0.5 t ha-1, T6- mustard cake @ 0.5 t ha-1 and T7-control and three different level of biofertilizers viz. B1- azotobactor @ 2 kg ha-1, B2- azospirillum @ 2 kg ha-1 and B3- PSB @ 2 kg ha-1. The exponential and significant improvement in plant height (31.68 cm), dry matter content (32.26%), gross head weight (615.18 g), net head weight (304.26 g) and projected yield (8.44 t ha-1) were influenced by integrated application of mustard cake @ 1t ha-1 with azospirillum @ 2 kg ha-1. The plant applied in different doses of mustard cake along with azospirillum responded better performance in most of the biochemical aspects viz. TSS (3.92 to 4.090 Brix), vit-C (99.71 to 101.77 mg 100 g-1 pulp) and crude protein (2.23 to 2.43%). Mustad cake @ 1t ha-1 along with azospirillium @ 2 kg ha-1 clearly demonstrated more accumulation of N (2.12%), P (1.20%) and K (1.78%) content in plant tissue and significantly improved the head quality.