Abstract
The growing reliance on chemical fertilizers and the associated environmental concerns have highlighted the need for sustainable, eco-friendly crop-nutrition strategies. Biostimulants and beneficial microbial formulations offer promising alternatives for enhancing crop performance while reducing chemical inputs. The experimental trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of foliar spray of bio-inputs, namely humic acid (HA), seaweed extract (SWE), and Effective Microorganisms (EM), applied individually or in combination, on the growth, yield, and quality of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under sustainable crop production. The field trial was carried out at the Horticultural Research Centre, Chauras Campus, H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand. The research trial consists of eight treatments, which are arranged in a randomised block design with three replications. Foliar applications were applied at critical crop growth stages, particularly during the vegetative and flowering phases. Among the individual treatments, seaweed extract (SWE) showed the best response, significantly improving the growth, yield, and quality attributes of French bean compared with the control. Among the dual combinations, SWE + EM and HA + EM were the most effective treatments, indicating a positive synergistic interaction that enhanced nutrient availability, physiological efficiency, and yield components. However, the combined application of SWE + HA + EM (T₈) produced the maximum response, recording the highest plant height (212.13 cm), pod yield (138.93 q ha⁻¹), number of pods per plant (67.15), and average pod weight (9.48 g). This treatment also significantly improved quality parameters, including total carbohydrates (27.62%), protein content (20.97%), and ascorbic acid (17.83 mg 100 g⁻¹). The superior performance of T₈ was attributed to the synergistic action of biostimulants and effective microorganisms.