Growth Performance of Low Chilling Varieties of Apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) under the Influence of Different Nutrient Levels in Assam, India

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the growth characters and leaf nutrient content of low-chilling apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) under the effect of different nutrient levels in Assam. Three low-chilling varieties viz. HRMN-99, Dorsett Golden and Anna were grown for this purpose subjected to different nutrients levels comprising of FYM applied alone or in combination with NPK doses. Obtained results revealed that HRMN-99 registered the highest significant plant height (179.76 cm), stem girth (9.91 cm), leaf area (63.34 cm2) and leaf area index (2.42) at the end of season. Amongst various nutrient levels, the application of 5 kg FYM+ 150 g urea+ 210g SSP+ 120 g MOP/plants showed superior performance in terms of plant height (192.03 cm), stem girth (11.30 cm), number of branches (17.25), leaf area (69.38 cm2) and leaf area index (2.61). Analysis of leaf nutritional status revealed that the variety HRMN-99 and nutrient application of 5 kg FYM+ 150 g urea+ 210g SSP+ 120 g MOP/plants showed impressive results in terms of leaf N, P, K, Ca and Mg. Thus, the variety HRMN-99 at nutrient level of 5 kg FYM+ 150 g urea+ 210g SSP+ 120 g MOP/plant proved to be promising for apple cultivation under Assam condition.