FOLIAR APPLICATION OF NUTRIENT MIXTURES ON YIELD OF BLACK PEPPER (PANNIYUR 1) IN SHERVAROY HILLS OF TAMIL NADU

Abstract

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) thrives in regions with high rainfall and humidity, and its dried berries are commercially valuable as a major spice. However, nutritional deficiencies in soil are a significant challenge for achieving higher productivity. While the common method of nutrient delivery is through soil application of fertilizers, this method has limitations in terms of nutrient availability to the plants. Foliar application, by contrast, offers a more efficient way to correct nutrient deficiencies quickly, improve crop quality and yield, and minimize environmental pollution while enhancing nutrient use efficiency. To address these challenges, an experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Research Station, Yercaud, from 2023 to 2025. Data from the growing seasons of 2023-2025 were used for analysis. The study aimed to reduce spike shedding, enhance berry set, and improve the overall yield of black pepper in different elevations (low, mid, and high) in the Shervaroy Hills through foliar nutrient application. Three different nutrient mixtures were tested at the low, mid, and high elevations, and their effects were compared with water sprays, both with and without a 1% DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) spray. The experiment followed a Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD) with 15 treatment combinations, where the nutrient mixtures were treated as factors, and the elevations served as levels. Observations were made on key yield attributes, including spike length, number of berries per spike, green berry weight (GBW), dry berry weight (DBW), green berry yield, and dry berry yield. Among the treatments, foliar application of nutrient mixture 1 proved superior in all elevations, resulting in the highest green berry yield: 27.5 kg per vine at low elevation, 21.5 kg at mid elevation, and 19.7 kg at high elevation. Similarly, it led to the highest dry berry yield: 9.2 kg per vine (low), 6.8 kg (mid), and 6.9 kg (high). Additionally, the highest number of berries per spike was recorded with mixture 1, reaching 86.4 berries per spike at low elevation, 82.2 at mid, and 75.8 at high elevation. This treatment also produced the heaviest green berries, with weights of 11.8 g (low), 11.0 g (mid), and 10.5 g (high), and the heaviest dry berries, weighing 4.0 g (low), 3.7 g (mid), and 3.3 g (high). In contrast, the water-sprayed vines yielded the lowest green berry yield of 5.5 kg (low), 5.0 kg (mid), and 5.3 kg (high) per vine, along with the lowest dry berry yield: 1.9 kg (low), 1.6 kg (mid), and 1.8 kg (high) per vine. This experiment demonstrated that foliar application of nutrient mixture 1 significantly improved black pepper yield across all elevations in the Shervaroy Hills.