Studies on influence of graded levels of biochar and humic acid in combination with microbial consortia on the vegetative growth flower yield and quality of African marigold Tagetes erecta L cv Bidhan 2

Abstract

xxiii newlineAuthor : C. SREENIVASA REDDY newlineTitle of thesis : Studies on influence of graded levels of biochar newlineand humic acid in combination with microbial newlineconsortia on the vegetative growth, flower yield newlineand quality of African marigold (Tagetes erecta newlineL.) cv. Bidhan-2 newlineDegree for which it is newlinesubmitted newline: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY newlineFaculty : HORTICULTURE newlineMajor field : FLORICULTURE AND LANDSCAPE newlineARCHITECTURE newlineChairman of Advisory newlineCommittee newline: Dr. V. VIJAYA BHASKAR newlineUniversity : Dr. Y.S.R. HORTICULTURAL UNIVERSITY newlineYear of submission : 2024 newlineABSTRACT newlineThe present investigation entitled Studies on influence of graded levels of newlinebiochar and humic acid in combination with microbial consortia on the vegetative newlinegrowth, flower yield and quality of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) cv. newline Bidhan 2 was carried out at the Horticultural Research Station, Dr. Y.S.R. newlineHorticultural University, Mahanandi, Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh during the newlinesummer, 2021 and 2022. The experiment was laid out with 18 different treatments newlinein a randomized block design with factorial concept and each replicated twice. The newlinetreatment combinations comprising of rice-straw biochar (BC0: No biochar, BC1: 5 t newlineha-1 newline, BC2: 10 t ha-1 newline), humic acid (HA1: 2 kg ha-1 newline, HA2: 4 kg ha-1 newline) and microbial newlineconsortia (MC0: No microbial consortium, MC1: Arka Microbial Consortium newline(AMC) at 15 kg ha-1 and MC2: Azospirillum at 5 kg ha-1 + PSB (Phosphorus newlineSolubilizing Bacteria) at 5 kg ha-1 + Bacillus spp. (K solubilizing bacteria) at 5 kg newlineha-1 newline). newlineAmong the individual treatments of different factors, soil application of newlinebiochar at 10 t ha-1 newline, humic acid at 4 kg ha-1 newline, Azospirillum at 5 kg ha-1 in newlinecombination with PSB at 5 kg ha-1 newlineand Bacillus spp. at 5 kg ha-1 recorded newlinesignificantly positive values with respect to different parameters of soil physical newlineproperties (except for EC), uptake of nutrients by the plant and available soil newlinenutrient content, different morphological parameters of the plant, flower quality and newlineyield, growth analysis, physiological and biochemica