Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) on growth, flowering and yield in marigold (Tagetus erecta L.) cv. "Pusa basanti"

Efforts were made to study the effect of integrated nutrient management on the growth and flowering of marigold. Out often treatments taken for this study viz. T1, (control), T2 (100% recommended dose) of NPK (100 Kg N, 100 Kg P2O5 and 100 Kg K2O) + 100% recommended dose of FYM (160 q ha−1), T3 (100% recommended dose of NPK + 100% recommended dose of vermicompost (130 q ha−1)), T4 (100% recommended dose of NPK + 100% recommended dose of Azatobacter (5Kg ha−1)), T5 (75% recommended dose of NPK (75 Kg N, 75 Kg P2O5 and 75 Kg K2O ha−1)+ vermicompost 159.0q ha−1), T6(75% recommended dose of NPK (75 Kg N, 75 Kg P2O5 and 75 Kg K2O ha−1)+ Azatobacter 6.6 Kg ha−l), T7 (75% recommended dose of NPK (75 Kg N, 75 Kg P2O5 and 75 Kg K2O ha−1)+ vermicompost 80 q ha−1 + Azatobacter 3.3 Kg ha−l), T8 75% recommended dose of NPK (75 Kg N, 75 Kg P2O5 and 75 Kg K2O ha−1) + Neem Cake (24 q ha−1), T9 50% recommended dose of NPK (50 Kg N, 50 Kg P2O5 and 50Kg K2O ha−1) + Neem cake (47.7 q ha−1), T9 50% recommended dose of NPK (50 Kg N, 50 Kg P2O5 and 50 Kg K2O ha−1) + vermicompost (250 q ha−1) + Neem cake (28 q ha−1). Among all the treatments, T7 gave the maximum high of the plant (94.84cm), plant spread (49.41 cm), leaf area (49.46cm) number of branches (15.92), total dry matter (39.03 g/plant), flower diameter (6.7 cm), weight of flower planrl (45.97 g), number of flower (58.32), per cent weight (3.99g) and yield of flower plan−1 (368.29g), yield of flower (26.48 tonne ha−l) The treatment was also found significantly most affected in inducing earliest flowering and duration off lowering.