Effect of Mulched and without Mulched Intercrops on Growth Yield and Fruit Quality of Kinnow Mandarin Plantation under Semi-Arid Irrigated Conditions

The aim of the present was to analyze the effect of different intercrops with and without mulch on growth, yield and quality of kinnow mandarin orchard. The data of kinnow plant such as height, stem girth, canopy spread, and canopy volume were collected in the month of February 2020 before transplanting the intercrops. The intercrops under mulch and without mulch treatments have significant effect on growth of kinnow plant, the percent increase in plant height (3.22%) in kinnow + watermelon, stem girth (4.20%) in kinnow + tomato, and canopy spread EW direction (3.89%) in kinnow + cantaloupe, were found to have positive effect in mulch intercrops treatments and percent increase in canopy spread NS direction (3.76%) and canopy volume (10.84%) in kinnow + watermelon, was found in without mulch intercrops treatments. The number of fruits per tree, average fruit weight and yield were significantly affected by mulch and without mulch treatments, with maximum number of fruits (920), fruit weight (161.11 g), and yield (361.34 q/ha) were recorded in kinnow + watermelon. TSS (11.56%), acidity (0.91%), ascorbic acid (30.15 mg/100ml juice) were recorded in without mulch intercrops treatments, and juice (42.96%), peel (27.84%) were recorded in mulch intercrops treatments.