Parveen Sharma

Evaluation of chilli and brinjal rootstocks for growth, yield and quality of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum Sendt.) under protected conditions

Grafting is now-a-days becoming an important tool to manage soil-borne diseases and improve crop response to a variety of abiotic stresses such as drought, flooding, salinity and extreme temperature stresses. However, in order to make a successful change in plant root system through grafting, it is important to select an ideal and compatible rootstock. In the present studies, the commercial bell pepper hybrid Indra was grafted on five chilli and three brinjal rootstocks, whereas, the non-grafted plants of Indra were used as ontrol. Three methods of grafting viz. tongue, cleft and tube were used. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications and data were recorded on various yield and quality traits. The chilli rootstock PI-201232 was the most suitable rootstock for bell pepper. Tongue grafting resulted in highest grafting success in comparison to cleft and tube. The combination of rootstock PI-201232 and propagation method Tongue grafting resulted into minimum days to first flowering (47.33), minimum days to first harvest (72.00) and maximum number of fruits per plant (27.80). The combination resulted in average fruit weight of 105.05 g, 2.80 kg marketable fruit yield per plant, marketable. Maximum fruit length (8.66 cm) was recorded with chilli rootstock AVPP0205 and Cleft grafting. Highest capsaicin content (0.65%) was recorded with chilli rootstock PI-201232 and Tube grafting. There was no significant effect of interaction between rootstocks and grafting methods on fruit diameter (cm). The chilli rootstocks PI-201232, AVPP0205, VI-037556, Surajmukhi and Pant C-1 were found to be more suitable for bell pepper in comparison to brinjal rootstocks.

Influence of Mulching on Growth and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under Protected Environment

Aims: To determine the effect of various mulches on growth and yield of tomato and to work out the economics of cultivation under protected environment. Study Design: Randomized Block Design with three replications. Place and Duration of Study: Research farm, Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture, CSK HPKV, Palampur during 2016 and 2016-17. Methodology: The experiment consists of nine different mulch treatments. The observations were recorded viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, days to first harvest, number of nodes/plant, internodal length, plant height, number of fruits/plant, average fruit weight, yield per meter square, harvest duration, net returns and output: input ratio. Observations were recorded on 5 plants chosen at random in each entry and replication. Results: Significantly highest fruit yield of 10.9 kg/m was obtained in M7 i.e. double shaded plastic mulch and was statistically at par with M6 i.e. black colour plastic mulch (10.2 kg/m ). Mulch showed Original Research Article Singh et al.; BJI, 19(2): 1-6, 2017; Article no.BJI.35410 2 significant variation in a number of fruits/plant. M7 i.e. double shaded plastic mulch (40.4) remained statistically at par with M6 (39.5) and M1 (38.6) produced significantly more number of fruits/plant. Significantly highest net returns (Rs.147.6/m) were observed in M7, as compared to other mulches. Conclusion: It can be concluded that use of double shaded and black colour synthetic mulch significantly increased the growth, yield and yield contributing characters in addition to net returns in tomato under the protected environment.

Inter-relationship for various components and path co-efficient analysis in tomato (Solanum lycopersicun L.).

The correlation and path co-efficient studies were conducted for sixteen genotypes of tomato at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture at C.S.K. Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur during 2012 and 2013. Findings clearly indicated that genotypic correlations were of higher magnitude to the corresponding phenotypic ones, thereby establishing strong inherent relationship among the character studied. Marketable yield had a positive and highly significant association with gross yield per plant, number of marketable fruits per plant, total fruits per plant, average fruit weight, number of nodes, plant height and TSS content. Strong association of these traits revealed that the selection based on these traits would ultimately improve the marketable yield and it is also suggested that hybridization of genotypes possessing combination of above characters will prove more useful for getting desired segregants. Path co-efficient analysis revealed that gross yield per plant, ascorbic acid, pericarp thickness and average fruit weight had the highest positive direct effect on fruit yield at phenotypic levels. Number of locules per fruit, total number of fruits per plant, fruit shape index, number of marketable fruits per plant and TSS content also had positive direct effects. Hence, it would be rewarding to lay stress on these characters in selection programme for increasing the marketable yield.