Effect of Micronutrients and Biofertilizers on the Growth and Yield of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn

Micronutrients are essentially as important as macronutrients to have better growth, yield and quality in plants. As a component of proteins, zinc acts as a functional, structural, or regulatory cofactor of a large number of enzymes. The main functions of boron relate to cell wall strength and development, cell division, fruit and seed development, sugar transport and hormone development. Biofertilizers play a very significant role in improving soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, both, in association with plant roots and without it, solubilise insoluble soil phosphates and produces plant growth substances in the soil. Keeping all these points in mind the present study was planned at Khalsa college, Amritsar in year 2023-2024. Strawberry cultivation trials integrating micronutrients and biofertilizers faced challenges such as inconsistent nutrient uptake, variability in soil microbial activity, difficulty in optimizing dosage combinations, environmental stress effects on plant response, and limited standardization of application methods under field conditions. The study was laid out in randomized block design with fifteen treatments and replicated thrice. The results were statistically analyzed at p≤ 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that foliar application of micronutrients and biofertilizers significantly effect the growth and yield of strawberry. The treatment Azotobacter (6 kg/ha) + ZnSO₄ (0.4%) (T8) produced the best overall results.