Comparative studies of natural, organic, conventional and precision farming on growth and flowering of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

A field experiment was conducted at Horticulture Polytechnic, ASPEE College of Horticulture, Navsari Agricultural University, Paria to study the response of planting material and nutrients on growth of banana cv. Grand Naine during the year 2022-23 and 2023-24. The experiment included fourteen treatment combinations with two factors in a randomized block design with factorial concept and repeated thrice viz., Planting material (P): Tissue cultured plants and Macro propagation plantlets; Nutrients (N): Novel organic liquid nutrients (1 and 2%), Banana Shakti (1 and 2%), Grade IV micronutrient (1 and 2%) and Control. Nutrients were sprayed at 3rd, 5th and 7th month after planting. The individual effect of planting material and foliar application of nutrients at 3rd, 5th and 7th month after planting as well as their interactions on growth of banana cv. Grand Naine were recorded. The results of two years mean revealed that tissue cultured plants used as a planting material significantly increased the growth characters viz., maximum pseudostem girth (71.74 cm), number of leaves (14.27), leaf area (12.73 m2) and minimum days to shooting, harvesting as well as crop duration (214.14, 102.63 and 316.77 days, respectively). The foliar application of Grade IV micronutrient @ 2% at 3rd, 5th and 7th month after planting significantly gave the maximum pseudostem height and girth (2.14 m and 72.52 cm, respectively), number of leaves (14.41), leaf area (12.78 m2) and minimum days to shooting, harvesting and crop duration (211.54, 101.40 and 312.94 days, respectively). While, interaction between planting material and nutrients found non-significant on growth characters.