Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) on Growth and Yield of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka, India

A field experiment was carried out at Department of Vegetable Science experimental block at College of Horticulture, Bagalkot during Rabi season of the year 2022-23 to study the influence of integrated nutrient management (INM) on growth and yield of brinjal. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) comprised of ten treatments with three replications. Organic manures like FYM and Vermicompost are used in different combinations along with inorganic fertilizers and biofertilizers. Among the different combinations of treatments, treatment T10 where 50% RDN supplied through inorganic fertilizer + micro nutrients Fe, Mn, Cu & Zn recorded higher growth parameters like plant height, number of primary branches, stem girth and plant spread (E-W) and (N-S) at 45 and at 90 DAT of brinjal and these growth parameters were lowest in treatment T5 where 75 per cent RDN through inorganic fertilizer + 25 per cent RDN through FYM and Vermicompost + Azotobacter + AM + PSB. The earliness parameters like number of days to first flowering, days to 50 per cent flowering and days to first harvest were lowest in T5 and were highest in treatment T10. The yield attributes like number of fruits per plant (63.91), fruit yield per plant (3.88 kg/plant), yield per plot (77.53 kg/plot) and yield per hectare (53.92 t ha-1) were significantly highest in treatment T5 and were lowest in T10. Hence the combination of organic and inorganic fertilizer like 75 % RDN through inorganic fertilizer + 25 % RDN through FYM and Vermicompost + Azotobacter + AM + PSB) could be recommended for the farmers for higher growth and yield along with enhancing crop productivity of brinjal with enhancing soil productivity.