Vol. 10, Issue 8 (2021)

Author(s):
HR Galande, AM Bhosale and SJ Syed

Abstract:
The present investigation on “Effects of graded levels of zinc and zinc solubilizing microbial cultures on Flowering, Fruiting parameters and Harvest Duration in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) cv. Shivam. The experiment was laid out in Factorial RBD with two factor i.e. factor first is zinc solubilizers and factor second is levels of zinc, it has twelve treatments replicated three times. Trichoderma viride and Pseudomonas strita are used as source zinc solubilizers along with different levels of zinc. The effect of zinc solubilizers indicated that the zinc solubilizer B₂ (Trichoderma viride) recorded maximum no. of flowers per plant (43.96), maximum no. of flower clusters per plant (14.46), minimum days to 50% flowering (35.00 day), maximum no. of fruits/plant (31.30), no. of marketable fruits /plant (30.02), no. of locules/fruit (4.83), length of fruit (6.85 cm), diameter of fruit (8.00 cm), minimum days to first picking (70.40 day), harvest duration (79.60 day). The effect of different levels of zinc indicated that the levels of zinc Zn₃ (30 kg ZnSO₄/ha) recorded maximum no. of flowers per plant (41.00), maximum no. of flower clusters per plant (13.65), minimum days to 50% flowering (35.55 day), maximum no. of fruits /plant (28.75), no. of marketable fruits/plant (27.44), no. of locules per fruit (4.45), length of fruit (6.51 cm), diameter of fruit (7.63 cm), minimum days to first picking (70.80 day), harvest duration (74.76 days). The interaction effect of different zinc solubilizers and levels of zinc indicated that the B₂Zn₃ (Trichoderma viride + 30 kg ZnSO₄/ha) recorded maximum no. of flowers per plant (46.84), maximum no. of flower clusters/plant (15.69), minimum days to 50% flowering (34.00 days), maximum no. of fruits/plant (36.50), no. of marketable fruits/plant (35.33), no. of locules/fruit (5.10), length of fruit (7.12 cm), diameter of fruit (8.38 cm), minimum days to first picking (69.33 days), harvest duration (82.05 days).