Response of integrated nutrient management in African marigold

Marigold is most popular and commercial loose flower cultivated in India and has great demand during the festive seasons. The experiment was conducted at Regional Research Station, Paiyur, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to determine the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers through Integrated Nutrient Management in African marigold Maxima yellow hybrid to get vigorous plant growth and maximum flower production of superior quality. Eight treatments were imposed viz., Control (T1), 100% (RDF) recommended dose of fertilizer (T2), 100% (RDF) + Farm Yard Manure (T3), 100% (RDF) + Vermicompost (T4), 100% RDF + FYM + ZnSO4 (soil application) (T5), 100% RDF + VC + ZnSO4 (@ 25 kg/ha (soil application) (T6), 100% RDF + FYM + ZnSO4 (0.5% as foliar spray) (T7),100% RDF + VC + ZnSO4 (0.5% as foliar spray) (T8) were laid out in a randomized block design with three replication. The findings revealed that application of 100% RDF(200:150:150 kg/ha) +Vermicompost @ 5 t/ha + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg/ha soil application performed better for growth and yield parameters viz., plant height (47.9 cm), number of branches per plant (19.2), plant spread (26 cm), days to first flowering (33 days), flower diameter (7.6 cm), duration of flowering (98.6 days), number of flowers per plant (52.6), individual flower weight (17.6 g), flower yield per plant (790.7g) and total yield (19.7 t/ha) with an yield increase of 69.8 per cent over the control was found to be superior than other treatments. The results revealed that NPK fertilization along with vermicompost and micronutrient zinc sulphate as soil application enhanced the growth, yield and produced good quality of marigold.