Experiment code 21.2.3.52
Experiment Title Feasibility of liquid anaerobic digestate application in dragon fruit
Research Type Departmental Research
Experiment Background  Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra are the leading producers contributing about 70% of India’s dragon fruit production. The water scarce areas of Kutch in Gujarat, Northern Karnataka and Western Maharashtra are major dragon fruit growing regions of the country. Overall, southern and western states are contributing a major share for the production of dragon fruit since they have been growing dragon fruit during last 5–8 years. Presently over 200 farmers in Gujarat's Kutch are cultivating this fruit in approx. 800 ha of land.  During the caring process, when the dragon fruit plant reaches the age of 4 years or more, useless branches and sheaths appear and need to be removed. Farmers grow 1,200 - 1,300 pillars of dragon fruits per ha, therefore the amount of canopy branches that require removal each year is approximately 25 to 30 tonnes.  If pruned dragon fruit branches is not recycling/treating may unintentionally cause environmental pollution as well as facilitate the spread of pathogens.  Research on rapid decomposing of canopy residues is lacking as per recent report of ICAR.  Anaerobic digestate is recently gaining attention for residue recycling because it produces nutrient rich fertilizer along with addition benefit of nature gas.  Recently, some of the experiments found liquid anaerobic digestate replace the mineral fertilizers 10 to 80 % in various crops.  Therefore this experiment is proposed.
Experiment Group Natural Resource Management
Unit Type (02)EDUCATION UNIT
Unit (13)ASPEE COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE (NAVSARI)
Department (233)Natural Resource Management , ACHF,Navsari
BudgetHead (329/12087/00)329/01/REG/04505
Objective
  1. To evaluate the feasibility of liquid digestate application with different levels of inorganic fertilizers on growth and yield of dragon fruit

      2. To know the effect of  liquid digestate application with different levels of inorganic                 fertilizers on soil properties after harvest of dragon fruit

Season Annual
Location Unit Type (02)EDUCATION UNIT
Location Unit (18)POLYTECHNIC IN HORTICULTURE (NAVSARI)
Location Department (301)Natural Resource Management , ACHF,Navsari
Plot No Dragon fruit plot
PI Name (NAU-EMP-2010-000884)HEMANTBHAI MAGANBHAI PATEL
PI Email hmpatel@nau.in
PI Mobile 7600059130
Year of Approval 2025
Commencement Year 2025
Completion Year 2028
Design of Experiment

RBD

Crop Spacing (cm x cm)

3 m x 3 m

Gross Plot (m x m) 6 m x 6 m
Net Plot (m x m) 6 m x 6 m
Total Experiment Area (m2) -
Plot History Last Three Year

-

Initial Soil Sample Analysis Report

-

Initial Soil Sample Analysis Report Attachment Attachment Not Available!
Layout Plan

-

Layout Plan Attachment Attachment Not Available!
Treatment

T1: No fertilizer application (Control)

T2: Liquid digestate application @ 10 lit/pole

T3: Liquid digestate application @ 20 lit/pole

T4: 100 % RDF

T5: 80 % RDF + liquid digestate application @ 10 lit/pole

T6: 60 % RDF + liquid digestate application @ 10 lit/pole

T7: 40 % RDF + liquid digestate application @ 10 lit/pole

Treatment Attachment Attachment Not Available!
(NAU-EMP-2010-000884) HEMANTBHAI MAGANBHAI PATEL hmpatel@nau.in 7600059130 12-02-2026
Active
(NAU-EMP-2006-000864) BHUPENDRABHAI MOHANBHAI TANDEL hariombhupi@nau.in 8128990453 12/02/2026
Active
(NAU-EMP-2012-000931) ASHOKKUMAR PARSOTTAMBHAI ITALIYA apitaliya@nau.in 7600059219 12/02/2026
Active
(NAU-EMP-2011-000925) PRASULKUMAR RAMESHBHAI PATEL prpatel_1983@nau.in 9879889479 12/02/2026
Active
Dragon Fruit