Yadav, Anju ， Bhatnagar, Prerak ， Singh, Jitendra ， Arya, C. K. ， Kavita, A. ， Gupta, Anil Kumar
2026-05-26 APPLIED FRUIT SCIENCE 2026 68(卷), 3(期), (null页)
Low fruit set and inconsistent yield remain key constraints in custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) production under semi-arid conditions. A two-season field experiment was conducted at Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India, using a factorial randomized block design with 16 treatments and three replications to assess individual and combined effects of foliar-applied humic acid (HA) and seaweed extract (SWE) at 1000, 2000, and 3000 ppm on vegetative growth, fruit set, yield, and fruit quality. The combined application of HA 3000 ppm + SWE 2000 ppm (T15) proved most effective, increasing nodes per shoot from 9.34 to 12.50 and canopy volume by 23.6% over the control. Fruit set improved from 62.85% to 73.40% (16.8% gain) and yield per plant increased by 72.7% (14.48 to 25.02 kg). Fruit weight rose by up to 26.5% (281.16 g vs. 222.29 g), pulp percentage from 52.52% to 66.08%, and the TSS/TA ratio from 72.17 to 127.10. Stony fruit incidence was reduced by 28.3%. Integrated foliar application of HA and SWE substantially enhances productivity and commercial fruit quality of custard apple, providing a practical, sustainable biostimulant strategy for semi-arid orchard management.