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Abstract
The comparative efficacy of bioorganic nutrients on cropping behavior and soil properties of apricot trees was studied. Bioorganic nutrient sources, namely, vermicompost (VC), biofertilizers (BF), cow urine (CU), and vermiwash (VW), were evaluated in 13 treatment combinations. The treatment application of VC at 50 kg, BF at 60 g, CU at 12.5%, and VW at 12.5% significantly improved cropping and soil properties over nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium (N–P–K) chemical fertilizers. Available macronutrient contents of soil (viz., N, P, and K) increased by 25.50, 70.90, and 6.44%, respectively. Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid–extractable micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn) increased by 15.45, 35.90, 80.36, and 40.12%, respectively. Microbial biomass of Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Azotobacter chroococcum, and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi improved 51.83, 122.78, 60.93, and 2.91 times, respectively. This superior combination also resulted in considerably greater amounts of leaf macro- and micronutrients: N (2.34%), P (0.34%), K (3.71%), iron (Fe; 172.83 mg kg−1), copper (Cu; 12.79 mg kg−1), zinc (Zn; 25.49 mg kg−1), and manganese (Mn; 54.32 mg kg−1), which might be responsible for better cropping behavior and productivity in apricot trees.