Custard Apple
Custard apple is considered as one of the most delicious and
nutritionally valuable fruit. These fruits have very limited post-harvest
shelf-life due to their perishable nature. In India, more than 20-22 % of
fruits are spoiled before consumption due to poor post-harvest handling
infrastructure and lack of processing opportunities. The custard apple pulp is
used in ice-cream industry, confectionary and some milk products. Chemical
fertilizers are extensively used in custard apple crops which caused various
threats to environmental, human, and soil health over a period of time.
However, soil microorganisms play a significant role in regulating the dynamics
of organic matter decomposition and the availability of plant nutrients. Hence,
the application of biofertilizers is becoming popular these days as an
important alternative to chemical fertilizers. On the basis of the
application of bio-fertilizers, it can be broadly classified as:
1. Nitrogenous
(N) bio-fertilizer
2. Phosphatic
(P) bio-fertilizer
3. Potash (K) bio-fertilizer