A field investigation was carried out on fifteen-year-old mango cv. Banganpalli during 2021-2023 in the coastal region of India at the research farm of ICAR-IIHR-Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Bhubaneswar, Odisha to evaluate the efficacy of some plant growth regulators, namely naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), gibberellic acid (GA3) and triacontanol (TRIA) for improving fruit retention, yield and quality of harvest. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with 10 treatments consisting of NAA (10, 20 and 30 ppm), GA3 (25, 50 and 75 ppm), TRIA (1, 3 and 5 ppm) and water spray as control. Each treatment was replicated thrice with four plants per replication. Treatments were applied on the plant canopy thrice at panicle initiation, pea and marble stages of fruit growth. Observations were recorded on flowering, fruiting, yield and fruit quality indices. Application of triacontanol at 3-5 ppm brought out a significant improvement over control in terms of panicle size, fruit retention and yield. Plants sprayed with 5 ppm triacontanol produced the largest panicle (length: 29.17 cm, width: 18.07 cm) and recorded the maximum value for fruit retention (68.93, 53.38, 39.41, 32.88, 26.54, 20.46 and 16.58% at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 and 105 days after pea stage, respectively), number of fruits/tree (104.72) and yield (38.95 kg/tree). With respect to fruit quality, GA3 and TRIA exhibited significant influence on fractions of fruit, dry matter and on most of the chemical attributes (TSS, TSS/acid ratio, total sugar, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and vitamin C) when applied at the concentration of 50-75 and 3-5 ppm, respectively.

The present study was conducted to evaluate jackfruit genotypes from the eastern tropical region of India for their floral traits and fruit quality with the aim to identify promising accessions. Significant variation was observed in number of bearing footstalk, female spike, male spike, and sex ratio. The number of fruits in a tree ranged 6.24 to 94.21, with an average of 37.89. The average number of fruits on trunk, primary branch, secondary branch and tertiary branch was 5.51, 15.16, 10.32 and 6.90, respectively. The average fruit weight of jackfruit accessions was 4.26 kg, with bulb weight of 2.15 kg, flake weight of 22.97 g, flake content of 27.13

Foliar application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) is one of tactic for plant nourishment which directly enhances nutrient uptake, leading to a more balanced nutrient supply and improved accumulation in plant ultimately improving quality and yield. The current research covers to see the response of biochemical and phytochemical parameters of sapota cv. DHS-1; to the pre-harvest spray of the PGR i.e. naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (50 and 100 ppm), 2-chloro-4-pyridyl) N'-phenyl urea (5 and 7.5 ppm), salicylic acid (SA) (150 and 300 ppm) and homo brassinolide (10 and 15 ppm); sprayed at flowering, pea stage and marble stage of plant growth. Treatments were imposed on 24-years-old, uniformly grown, sapota trees, planted at 10m x 10m spacing, at Central Horticultural Experiment Station, (ICAR-IIHR), Bhubaneswar during 2022 and 2023. In general, application of PGRs were foundaffecting the fruit quality significantly over control. However, application of NAA and CPPU performed better at higher dose. The treatment NAA at 100 ppm resulted in highest total soluble solids (°Brix), TSS: acid, ascorbic acid content, sugar content and minimum titratable acidity (%). Further, application of NAA at 100 ppm found to be most effective in boosting total flavonoids content, total phenol content and antioxidant activity. The possible correlations among these parameters were discussed which showed that the bio-active compounds such as vitamin C, phenol and flavonoid contributed towards the anti-oxidant capacity of fruit. Therefore, application of PGRs showed to effectively augment fruit quality by improving both biochemical and phytochemical properties when compared to control.

Mango is the most important fruit crop of India which is primarily characterized by monocropping, low-density planting and low productivity. Intercropping in low density orchards is one of the most viable options for enhancing profitability as well as for promoting climate resilience. Hence mango-based intercropping systems viz. mango + pineapple (M + P), mango + ber (M + B), mango + dragon fruit (M + D) and mango + dragon fruit + pineapple (M + D + P), were evaluated in terms of productivity, profitability, resource use efficiency, and carbon and energy efficiency with the monoculture of mango. Mango + pineapple (M + P) demonstrated markedly higher land equivalent ratio (1.68), water productivity (16.54 kg m3), partial factor productivity (32.87), sustainable yield index (0.83) and sustainable value index (0.81) followed by M + D + P intercropping system. M + D + P system exhibited higher system productivity (31.14 Mg ha-1), production efficiency (85.31 kg day-1 ha-1) and relative economic efficiency followed by M + P system. M + P system demonstrated significantly low carbon footprint (0.26 CE kg-1) and energy footprint (1.67 MJ kg-1) per unit of fruit production. M + P system was also the most efficient system in terms of carbon efficiency (1.28), energy use efficiency (1.32), energy productivity (0.65 kg MJ- 1) and energy profitability. The findings clearly suggest that M + P and M + D + P are the most economically viable and sustainable intercropping systems in tropical region of India. Both the intercropping systems may also be considered climate resilient on the basis of water productivity, sustainability index and carbon and energy footprint.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of foliar application of homobrassinolide (HBL), gibberellic acid (GA3), and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) for improving fruit set, yield, and quality in sugar apple. Methodology: The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with 10 treatments, comprised of NAA (50, 100, and 150 ppm), HBL (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 ppm), GA3 (100, 150, and 200 ppm), and water as a control. Treatments were foliar sprayed thrice during major flowering period at monthly interval, i.e., April, May, and June. Observations were recorded on fruiting, yield, and fruit quality parameters. Results: Foliar application of GA3 at 150-200 ppm was found effective for enhancing the fruit set, fruit retention, and yield in sugar apple, when applied during May and June. Application of GA3 @ 200 ppm not only recorded the maximum fruit set and retention in May (5.03 and 69.18 %) and June flowering (9.38 and 75.35 %), but also scored the maximum values for number of fruits, fruit weight, and yield in their corresponding month of harvesting, i.e., October (50.60 fruits per tree, 235.70 g per fruit, and 11.88 kg per tree) and November (36.79 fruits per tree, 231.88 g per fruit, and 8.40 kg per tree). With respect to fruit quality, GA3 (100-200 ppm) and NAA (100-150 ppm) registered a significant improvement in various fruit quality parameters, however, GA3 treatments excelled in the performance. Fruits harvested from 200 ppm GA3 had the best quality (pulp: 72.07 %, TSS: 23.90 ºB, TSS/acid ratio: 59.81, total sugar: 30.37 %, reducing sugar: 19.57 %, non-reducing sugar: 10.80 %, vitamin C: 52.34 mg 100 g−1 pulp, total flavonoid: 44.21 mg QE 100 g−1 FW, ferric reducing antioxidant power: 40.73 mM Fe(II) 100 g−1 FW and scavenging activity: 74.65 %), followed by 150 ppm GA3. Interpretation: In sugar apple, foliar application of GA3 (150-200 ppm) twice during May and June flowering is effective for improving fruit set and enhancing yield and quality of the produce. Key words: Fruit set, Fruit quality, Gibberellic acid, Plant growth regulators, Sugar apple

Tamarindus indica L. is a multipurpose monotypic agroforestry species, possessing numerous domestic and industrial applications. It grows naturally in subtropical and semi-arid tropical regions of the world. Sixteen quantitative traits of T. indica were used in this study to unravel the phenotypic diversity on a large scale (422 accessions sourced from 12 districts of 8 Indian states) using multivariate analysis. Significant difference between the provenances were recorded for all the traits (P < 0.001). In terms of total pod weight, shell weight, fiber weight, pulp weight, real pulp value, and seed weight, Karnataka outperformed the other states. There were strong positive associations between real value of pulp (RVP) and all pod size traits ranging from 0.37 to 0.93. Titratable acidity was found to have a significant positive relationship with pod size and pulp recovery (r = 0.513–0.742); sugar/acid ratio with seed percent (r = 0.718) and shell percent (r = 0.537). According to the principal component analysis (PCA), the first five principal components accumulated 98.61

The present study was conducted at Central Horticultural Experiment Station (ICAR-IIHR), Bhubaneswar, during 2022 and 2023 to evaluate the impact of the application of plant growth regulators on fruit set, yield and physical fruit quality of Sapota (Manilkara zapota L.) cv. DHS-1. The experiment was designed in a randomized completely block design with nine treatments consisting of NAA (50 and 100 ppm), CPPU (5 and 7.5 ppm), SA (150 and 300 ppm) and Homobrassinolide (10 and 15 ppm) and water as control. Treatments were imposed on 24-year-old, uniformly grown sapota trees, planted at 10m x 10m spacing, at flowering, fruit set and one month after fruit set. In general, the application of PGRs was effective in augmenting fruit sets, fruit retention, yield attributes and physical fruit quality over control. However, the application of NAA and CPPU performed better at higher doses. The treatment NAA @100 ppm resulted in the highest fruit set (34.76 %), fruit retention (57.46% at 30 DAFS, 28.48 % at 120 DAFS), yield (47.77 kg/tree) and physical fruit viz. pulp content (93.80%), dry matter (26.15%), fruit length (7.47 cm) and fruit width (6.57 cm). Pearson correlation coefficient analysis showed positive links among fruiting, yield, yield attributing traits and physical fruit quality parameters of sapota, as well as a negative correlation for peel content.

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is a large and long-lived tropical tree. Although the distinctly acidic pulp of its fruit finds multiple applications in nutrition, medicine, and industry, the genetic diversity of tamarind and the identification of unique genotypes suitable for different applications have received little attention. To address this gap, molecular genetic diversity of 91 genotypes of tamarind from different regions in India was assessed using start-codon-targeted (SCoT) markers and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Of the 46 markers tested, 10 SCoT and 10 SRAP markers were polymorphic, and the polymorphic information content values ranged from 0.38 to 0.45 with a mean of 0.40 for both the primers. Genetic relationships among the genotypes investigated using a neighbor-joining tree showed the 91 genotypes to be composed of four distinct clusters, and analysis of population structure showed them to be corresponding to four pure-population groups (the probability score was 0.80 or higher). Principal component analysis of the molecular variance showed it to be along three axes: axis 1 explained 31.83

A field experiment was conducted under coastal Odisha conditions. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with 9 treatments replicated thrice. The treatments consisting of T1: 75% RDF + 25% N through Vermicompost; T2: 75% RDF + 25% N through Vermicompost + FYM; T3:75% RDF + 25% N through Vermicompost + FYM +Bio fertilizers; T4:50% RDF + 50% N through Vermicompost; T5:50% RDF + 50% N through Vermicompost + FYM; T6: 50% RDF + 50% N through Vermicompost + FYM +Bio fertilizers; T7: 100% N through Vermicompost.; T8: 100% N through Vermicompost + FYM; T9:100% N through Vermicompost + FYM +Bio fertilizers. The result of the study revealed that maximum total soluble solids (11.420Brix and 10.93 0Brix), Vitamin-C (199.60 mg/100g and 189.08 mg/100g), total phenol contents (113.05 mg GAE/100g fresh weight and 88.21 mg GAE/100g fresh weight), total flavonoid contents (38.64 mg QE/100g fresh weight and 34.14 mg QE/100g fresh weight), FRAP value (21.61 mM Fe(II)/100g fresh weight and 18.39 mM Fe(II)/100g fresh weight), scavenging activity (62.03 % and 58.65 %) were observed with the plants treated with 50% RDF +50% N through Vermicompost + FYM +Bio fertilizer in both mrig and hasth bahar. The incorporation of nutrients through organic and inorganic resources leads to enhanced quality attributes of guava in Coconut Cropping System.

An experiment on integrated nutrient management in guava grown as a component crop in a coconut-based cropping system was conducted under the coastal condition of Odisha. Adoption of integrated nutrient management like the application of organic manures with or without NPK fertilizers resulted in improvement in the physico-chemical properties of soil, which was reflected in terms of pH, organic carbon content, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potash content. Among the different combination of integrated nutrient management applied in guava, the plant height, canopy spread, flushing intensity, yield and yield attributing parameters. The maximum available soil nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium contents were estimated to be maximum in the treatment applied with 50% RDF +50% N through vermicompost + FYM +bio fertilizer, while the soil pH was highest owing to application of 75% RDF + 25% N through vermicompost + FYM which was at par with results obtained with application of 75% RDF + 25% N through vermicompost and 75% RDF +25% N through vermicompost + FYM +bio fertilizer.

Tamarind is one of the highly valued fruit trees of the tropical world. Considering the potential of the crop, a precise standardised description of its growth stages and thermal time requirement were studied to ensure efficient agronomic practices. Phenological growth stages of tamarind are defined according to the BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie) scale using a three-digit numerical system. The phenology of tamarind is characterised by eight principal growth stages: bud growth, leaf growth, shoot growth, inflorescence growth, flower development, fruit growth, fruit maturation and dormancy. Principal growth stages of tamarind are defined and described through 39 secondary growth stages. For each phenological stage, duration and thermal time were also ascertained. It is evident that thermal time for fruit growth and maturation of tamarind is substantially high, whereas inflorescence and leaf require less thermal time to complete their growth. The study could be of great help to tamarind growers and scientists for implementation of efficient agronomic management protocols as well as for assessing the response of critical phenological growth stages to temperature.

Aims: A trial was conducted to investigate the influence of plant growth regulators on the growth and quality attributes of pineapple fruits. Study Design: The experiment was arranged in a randomized completed block design (RBCD) with three replications using 25 plants per replication. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was carried out between 2020 and 2021 at the Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Aignia, Bhubaneswar, India. Methodology: The application of PGRs i.e. naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), gibberellic acid (GA), and brassinosteroid (BR) was done at the flower initiation stage. Only water application is done in case of control. Fruits were harvested at the ripe stage and an analysis of different growth and quality parameters were done. Results: The application of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), and gibberellic acid (GA) significantly improved the yield and quality attributes of pineapple. Application of NAA 200 mgL-1 (T3) was found to be the most effective in enhancing absolute growth rate (2.65 g day-1), fruit weight (1.58 kg), and fruit/crown ratio (6.38). It was also evident that the application of NAA 200 mgL-1 improved fruit quality in terms of soluble solid contents (17.67 oBrix), soluble solid contents to acid ratio (19.49), reducing sugar (3.54%), and total sugar content (12.38%). Higher pulp content (73.89%), pulp-to-peel ratio (3.49), and juice content (54.50%) were also observed with NAA 200 mgL-1. Conclusion: NAA 200 mgL-1 significantly improved fruit growth i.e. fruit weight, fruit-to-crown ratio, and absolute growth rate. It also enhanced the quality attributes of pineapple fruits i.e. pulp content, pulp-to-peel ratio, juice content, pH, soluble solid contents, SSC to acid ratio, reducing sugar, and total sugar content.

In nutshell, invasive species causes serious threat to the natural ecosystem. Severe and up surging phenomenon of exotic rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW), Aleurodicus rugioperculatus (Martin) became a major concern in global crop production. The present study aimed to document and assesses the host range, nature and intensity of damage caused by this cryptic species. The roving survey was conducted to study the occurrence of RSW in the fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, ornamental crops and avenues trees plantation in the east-coast region of India. Hierarchical clustering was performed based on its incidence on different host plants and correlated with the dissimilarity index. The RSW was identified based on morphological characteristics and the nature of the damage. RSW infested a total of 27 crops. Four host plants, viz. Cocos nucifera (L.), Musa sp. Psidium guajava (L.) and Syzygium cumini (L.) (Skeels) showed severe levels of infestation. An important implication from the current study is the occurrence of its incidence on the two new host crops, viz. Amaranthus tricolor (L.) and Solanum torvum that was envisaged firstly to the scientific world. This study provides baseline information about RSW among various stakeholders, helps to develop a sustainable management strategy for timely mitigation of RSW menace.

Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the comparative response of guava var. Arka Amulya to branch bending practice during winter and summer for controlling shoot vigour and improving flushing, yield, and quality of harvest under hot and humid climate of Odisha. Methodology: The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with five treatments consisting of branch bending during first week of January, February, May, June, and without branch bending as control. Each treatment was replicated four times and each replication unit had four plants. Observations were recorded on flushing, flowering, yield, and fruit quality parameters. Results: Branch bending technique was found effective for controlling the shoot vigour and enhancing flushing, flowering, and yield in guava, when practised during January, February, and May, however, effects were more pronounced when branch orientation was manipulated during winter months. January branch bending produced the shortest vegetative shoots (50.48 cm) and recorded the maximum value for flush count (28.91 shoots m-1 branch), flowering (57.91%), and fruit yield (38.46 kg per tree). Branch manipulation during winter resulted in higher yield gains (70.87-81.59%) over control (21.18 kg per tree) as compared to summer months (11.99-42.21%). All the treatments of branch bending caused a significant improvement in various fruit quality attributes, however, May and June treatments excelled in the performance. June bending produced the best quality fruit (TSS: 11.35ºB, Total sugar: 7.85%, Vitamin C: 197.39 mg 100 g-1 pulp, Total phenolic content: 117.29 mg GAE 100 g-1 FW, and total flavonoid: 52.74 mg QE 100 g-1 f. wt.), followed by May bending. Interpretation: In guava, canopy architecture manipulation through branch bending appears to hold immense potential for enhancing the quantum and quality of produce, if practised at suitable time. Practising this technique after May month would not give significant yield gain over the control plant.

Packaging and storage has become an integral part of the horticulture production system due to its significance in improving shelf life and minimizing postharvest loss. The future of packaging is one in which the package will increasingly operate as a smart system incorporating both smart and conventional materials, adding value and benefits across the packaging supply chain. Packaging should be low cost and environmentally safe. In order to ensure better marketability higher package quantity is needed for fresh F&V active packaging and intelligent packaging are emerging and exciting areas of food preservation technique, which can confer many preservation benefits on a wide range of foods. The aim of active packaging is to match the properties of the package to the more critical requirements of the food. Adoption of some of these methods will require changes in attitude to packaging and a willingness to address regulatory issues where chemical effects are used. Application of new emerging technologies offers greater potential in horticulture sector. The intelligent system is an effective approach not only to maintain the quality or value of a product but also to provide information about produce quality to consumers.

An experiment was conducted during 2018-2020 to study the genetic diversity in 24 morphological traits using D2 statistics in mango genotypes of eastern tropical region of India. Present study reveals that the clustering pattern based on D2 statistics grouped 40 genotypes of mango into 7 clusters, out of which cluster VI (7397.45) shows the highest intracluster value followed by cluster III (5346.99) and cluster V (4130.4), indicating considerable genetic divergence among the accessions of this cluster. While maximum inter- cluster distance was observed between the cluster VI and VII (300180) followed by cluster II and VI (289267.7) and cluster I and VI (214380.5) indicated that the accessions belonging to these groups were genetically most diverse and can be used as a parent in hybridization programme. Wide range of genetic diversity observed among cluster VI and cluster VII, can either be utilized for breeding programmes for genetic improvement in mango or directly adopted as a variety. Fruit yield exhibited significant contribution towards the genetic divergence (60.77%) followed by fruit weight (26.79%), stone percentage (4.74%), peel percentage (2.31%) and pulp percentage (2.05%).

Invasive species causes serious threat to the natural ecosystem. Severe and up surging phenomenon of exotic rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW), Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin became a major concern in global crop production. The present study aimed to document and assesses the host range, nature, and intensity of damage caused by this cryptic species. The roving survey was conducted to study the occurrence of RSW in the fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, ornamental crops, and avenues trees plantation in the east-coast region of India. Hierarchical clustering was performed based on its incidence on different host plants and correlated with the dissimilarity index. The RSW was identified based on morphological characteristics and the nature of the damage. RSW infested a total of twenty-seven crops was noticed. Four host plants viz., Cocos nucifera L., Musa sp. , Psidium guajava L., and Syzygium cumini L. Skeels showed severe levels of infestation. An important implication from the current study is the occurrence of its incidence on the two new host crops viz., Amaranthus tricolor L. and Solanum torvum that was envisaged firstly to the scientific world. This study provides baseline information about RSW among various stakeholders and helps to develop a sustainable management strategy for timely mitigation of RSW menace.

Studies were conducted at Central Horticulture Experiment Station (ICAR-IIHR), Bhubaneswar during 2018 to 2020. Forty mango germplasm were studied for their genetic variability, heritability, and character association between yield and quality traits to estimate the contribution of traits towards yield. High genotypic (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were recorded for yield, fruit weight, stone weight, pulp to stone ratio, peel weight, titratable acidity, total carotenoid, total flavonoid, total phenol which provide wide scope of improvement through selection. Moreover, high heritability and genetic advance were also observed in all characters. Peel weight, total carotenoid, total phenol and total flavonoid exhibited significant positive correlation with yield. Path analysis revealed that total flavonoid, peel weight, pulp to stone ratio, total carotenoid, total phenol, titratable acidity, stone weight, sex ratio, and total soluble solids had maximum direct effect on yield.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of foliar application of Ascophyllum nodosum extract, homobrassinolide, and triacontanol for improving fruit retention, yield, and quality in mango. Methodology: The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with 10 treatments, comprising Ascophyllum nodosum extract (1000, 3000, and 5000 ppm), homobrassinolide (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 ppm), triacontanol (1, 3, and 5 ppm), and water as control. Treatments were foliar sprayed at panicle initiation, pea, and marble stages of fruit growth. Observations were recorded on flowering, fruiting, yield, and fruit quality parameters. Results: All the treatments of Ascophyllum nodosum extract and triacontanol exhibited significant improvement in fruit retention, fruit weight, yield, and fruit quality parameters over control. However, 3000 and 5000 ppm Ascophyllum nodosum extract treatments outperformed all the treatments of triacontanol. Plants sprayed with 5000 ppm Ascophyllum nodosum extract recorded the maximum value for fruit retention (48.15, 36.74, 29.48, and 25.76% at 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks after pea stage, respectively), number of fruits (133.25 per tree), fruit weight (188.84 g per fruit), and yield (25.16 kg per tree), whereas the lowest values were recorded under control. With respect to fruit quality, 3000 ppm ANE produced the fruits with the highest TSS (19.62 °B), whereas the highest TSS/acid ratio was recorded with 5000 ppm ANE (62.29) treatment. Interpretation: In mango, foliar application of Ascophyllum nodosum extract (3000-5000 ppm) thrice at panicle initiation, pea, and marble stages of fruit growth is effective for reducing fruit drop and enhancing quantum and quality of produce.