Growth and Yield of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) under Integrated Nutrient and Crop-Management Packages in Lucknow, India
Karan Kumar *
Maharishi School of Agriculture, Maharishi University of Information and Technology, Lucknow- 226020, India.
Sharvan Kumar
Maharishi School of Agriculture, Maharishi University of Information and Technology, Lucknow- 226020, India.
Atul Singh
Maharishi School of Agriculture, Maharishi University of Information and Technology, Lucknow- 226020, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Integrated strawberry production uses nutrient inputs alongside soil-cover and irrigation practices, but the performance of combined packages does not identify the separate effects of their components. Seven management packages were compared during the 2025–2026 rabi season in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, in a randomised block arrangement with three replications. The treatments were a control (T1), recommended mineral fertiliser dose (RDF; T2), farmyard manure plus RDF (T3), vermicompost plus RDF (T4), biofertiliser plus RDF (T5), farmyard manure plus vermicompost plus biofertiliser plus RDF (T6), and an integrated nutrient-management package with mulch and drip irrigation (T7). T7 had the highest reported means for plant height (28.15 cm), leaves (29.75 plant⁻¹), plant spread (41.24 cm), runners (5.14 plant⁻¹), and fruit yield (294.68 g plant⁻¹; 20.64 t ha⁻¹), and the shortest recorded time to first flowering (39.74 days). Crown diameter was highest under T6 (2.57 cm), compared with 2.14 cm under T7. Fruit yield under T7 exceeded T1 by 93.0% per plant and 93.8% per hectare on the basis of the reported means. The comparison indicates a favourable descriptive response to T7 under the site and season investigated. Incomplete treatment specifications, missing plot-level data, and undocumented planting density preclude independently verified statistical comparisons and attribution to individual inputs.
Keywords: Biofertilizer, drip irrigation, farmyard manure, nutrient management, strawberry, vermicompost, yield