PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

The present investigation was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, during 2025-26 to evaluate the influence of integrated nutrient management on the growth, flowering, yield and quality attributes of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) cv. Azad Gol Type-3. The experiment comprised nine treatments, viz., T₁ (absolute control), T₂ (100% RDF; NPK 120:85:50 kg/ha), T₃ (vermicompost @ 6 t/ha), T₄ (FYM @ 25 t/ha), T₅ (FYM @ 12.5 t/ha + 50% RDF), T₆ (vermicompost @ 3 t/ha + 50% RDF), T₇ (FYM @ 18.75 t/ha + 25% RDF), T₈ (vermicompost @ 4.5 t/ha + 25% RDF) and T₉ (vermicompost @ 3 t/ha + FYM @ 6.25 t/ha + 50% RDF), with three replications. Treatment T₉ was the most effective for most traits, recording maximum plant height (62.59 cm at 90 DAT), number of leaves (54.10), branches (12.93), stem girth (3.18 cm), flowers per plant (46.55), fruits per plant (10.33), fruit length (8.24 cm), fruit yield per plant (1661.71 g), yield per hectare (615.45 q/ha) and TSS (4.63 °Brix), along with minimum days to first flowering (47.33 days). Treatment T₆ recorded the highest individual fruit weight (174.60 g), fruit diameter (7.45 cm), ascorbic acid (12.62 mg/100 g) and anthocyanin content (22.35 mg/100 g). The control produced the lowest values for most parameters. Overall, the integrated use of vermicompost, FYM and reduced RDF improved the physical and biochemical quality of brinjal fruits under the tested conditions.