Effect of Nitrogen Doses and Timing on Fruit Quality of Guava in Winter
Effect of Nitrogen Doses and Timing on Fruit Quality of Guava in Winter
Junaid Khan* and Muhammad Sajid
ABSTRACT
The guava fruit plants produce heavy fruit yield during summer season but these plants then produce very little fruit yield during winter season due to low carbohydrates. To increase guava fruit production during winter season, this experiment ‘effect of nitrogen doses (0, 75, 150 and 225 kg ha-1) and timing (September, October and November) on fruit quality of guava in winter’ was conducted at farmer field of village, Gher Khan, District, Haripur during 2017-2018 with the objectives to optimize the appropriate dose of nitrogen and timing of application for growth and fruit quality of guava crop in winter. The experiment was laid out in RCBD with split plot arrangement and three replications. The experimental results revealed that highest ascorbic acid (207.59 mg 100g-1) was recorded in guava fruit tree treated with nitrogen in September. Trees treated with nitrogen in November produced fruits with maximum fruit firmness (1.90 kg cm-2) and titratable acidity (0.35%). Regarding nitrogen doses, maximum TSS-acid ratio (39.72%) and ascorbic acid (212.42 mg 100g-1) were observed in trees treated with 225 kg N ha-1. Maximum ascorbic acid (217.76 mg 100g-1) and reducing sugar (5.85%) were recorded in trees fertilized with 150 kg N ha-1 while maximum non-reducing sugar (4.80%) and TSS (10.55 oBrix) were observed in trees treated with 75 kg N ha-1. Interaction between nitrogen doses and its time of application significantly affected fruit firmness of guava fruit while TSS, ascorbic acid, TSS-acid ratio, reducing and non-reducing sugar was found non-significant. It is therefore concluded from results that optimum dose of urea as a source of nitrogen should be applied during the month of September at the rate of 150 kg ha-1 to guava fruit trees for better quality fruit production of winter season guava under the climatic condition of Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunhwa, Pakistan.
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