BIOPESTICIDE APPLICATION ON KINNOW MANDARIN (CITRUS RETICULATA BLANCO) WITH IMPROVED PRUNING CAN ENHANCE COSMETIC AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERS IN FRUIT

Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) is a highly valued fruit crop with ever increasing demand in national and international markets. Farmers eagerly put their efforts to produce quality fruit even compromising food safety, which is a preliminary concern of every consumer due to increased awareness of the adverse impact of pesticide abuses in conventional farming system. Use of environment friendly non-hazardous biological agents is increasing particularly for perishable horticultural crops. The project was designed to evaluate ecofriendly approaches to improve plant vigor and fruit quality of Kinnow mandarin replacing unsafe synthetic pesticides. During first two years of trial (2014 and 2015) improved pruning practices (traditional, 10% and 20%) and biopesticides (neem oil and lemongrass oil each at 1.5%) were evaluated separately while in third year (2016) integrated treatment applications were designed to investigate cumulative effect of pruning and biopesticides on fruit quality in comparison with control and sole application of Bifenthrin at 2 ml/L. Cosmetic, physical and biochemical attributes were studied in fully ripened fruits. Initial experiments witnessed significant reduction in fruit blemishes with 20% pruning and 1.5% neem oil treatment with improved physical quality, while cumulative application resulted in prominent statistically significant improvement. Tree pruning along with foliar spray of neem oil significantly improved fruit physical quality and cosmetic appearance.