Effect of Tephrosia mulch doses on guava fruit yield and quality under rainfed ecosystem

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Published

2026-06-30

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58993/ijh/2026.83.2.7

Keywords:

leguminous, Tephrosia candida, fruit crops, meadow orchard, Psidium guajava, productivity
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Issue

Vol. 83 No. 02 (2026): Indian Journal of Horticulture

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Abeer Ali, Bikash Das, M. K. Dhakar, S. K. Naik, V. B. Patel , G. P. Mishra

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Abeer Ali ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Barhi, Hazaribagh 825405, Jharkhand, India.
  • Bikash Das ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Plandu, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834010, India
  • M. K. Dhakar ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Plandu, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834010, India
  • S. K. Naik ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Plandu, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834010, India
  • V. B. Patel Assistant Director General (Fruits & Plantation Crops), KAB II, ICAR, New Delhi 110012, India
  • G. P. Mishra Division of Seed Science and Technology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute New Delhi 110012, India

Abstract

Tephrosia candida (Roxb.) DC. is a perennial shrub well-adapted to withstand drought and acidic soil
conditions, exhibits superior biomass production and notably higher concentrations of carbon, nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and essential micronutrients. A trial was conducted to standardize the quantity of
Tephrosia candida biomass for mulching in a guava orchard for 3 years. The treatments comprised of T1 = 3.0 kg
dry biomass m-2 of the plant basin, T2 = 2.0 kg, T3 = 1.0 kg, and T4 = control (no mulch). All treatments involving
Tephrosia candida resulted in significant increment fruit yield and quality. However, application of Tephrosia
candida @ 3kg m-2 and 2 kg m-2 was found to be the best. It was found that average mean data over the winter and
rainy season crops for fruit yield, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid was highest in the Tephrosia mulching @
3kg m-². Number of fruits per tree in both winter and rainy season crop, leaf carbohydrate content and fruit length
were found to best in Tephrosia @ 3kg m-2 and 2 kg m-2. All the treatment of Tephrosia were equally effective in
improving fruit diameter, pericarp thickness, fruit volume and reducing the total phenol content in leaves and
fruits. Thus, Tephrosia biomass mulching shows as a long-term solution for improving soil fertility and carbon
sequestration.

How to Cite

Ali, A., Das, B., Dhakar, M. K., Naik, S. K., Patel , V. B., & Mishra, G. P. (2026). Effect of Tephrosia mulch doses on guava fruit yield and quality under rainfed ecosystem. Indian Journal of Horticulture, 83(02), 178–183. https://doi.org/10.58993/ijh/2026.83.2.7

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Author Biographies

Abeer Ali, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Barhi, Hazaribagh 825405, Jharkhand, India.

PhD scholar, ICAR IARI New Delhi

Bikash Das, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Plandu, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834010, India

Director, ICAR–National Research Centre on Litchi (ICAR-NRCL), Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. His research focuses on fruit crop improvement, orchard management and genetic resources of horticultural crops.

M. K. Dhakar, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Plandu, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834010, India

Scientist (Fruit Science), ICAR–Central Institute for Arid Horticulture (CIAH), Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. His research focuses on fruit crop production, propagation and orchard management.

S. K. Naik, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Plandu, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834010, India

Principle Scientist (Soil Science), ICAR–Research Complex for Eastern Region (ICAR-RCER), Research Centre, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. His research focuses on soil fertility, soil chemistry and sustainable nutrient management.

V. B. Patel , Assistant Director General (Fruits & Plantation Crops), KAB II, ICAR, New Delhi 110012, India

Assistant Director General (Fruits & Plantation Crops), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, India. His research focuses on fruit crop physiology, nutrient management and production technologies in fruit and plantation crops.

G. P. Mishra, Division of Seed Science and Technology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute New Delhi 110012, India

Head, Division of Seed Science and Technology, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India. His research focuses on molecular breeding, seed biology and genetic improvement of crop plants.

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