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Influence of fertigation treatments on growth and yield of curry leaf (Murraya koenigii Spreng.) during off season

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Crop Res. 44 (3) : 461-465 (2012)
Printed in India
Influence of fertigation treatments on growth and yield of curry leaf
(Murraya koenigii Spreng.) during off season
SHARON ARAVIND, G. BALAKRISHNAMURTHY AND P. JANSIRANI
Department of Spices & Plantation Crops
Horticulture College & Research Institute
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), India
(Received : November 2011)
ABSTRACT
Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii Spreng.) plays an important role as a condiment in
the culinary preparation of South Indian dishes and its demand is ever growing throughout
the year especially during winter season when its availability is low and the price is
high. Hence, a field experiment was conducted to study the influence of fertigation on
growth, yield and quality parameters of curry leaf during off season. The study was laid
out in randomised block design with different doses of straight and water soluble fertilizers
given through soil and drip, respectively. In addition, biofertilizers viz., Azopirillum and
Phosphobacteria and foliar spray of 3% Panchagavya were given. Among the treatments,
T8–Panchagavya 3%+50% RDF (water soluble fertilizers) produced tallest plants (68.12
cm), while the treatment T7–Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (straight fertilizers) produced
the maximum number of secondary branches (27.86) and leaves (19.66). The treatment
T6 (Application of Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+Panchagavya
3%+75% RDF (water soluble fertilizers) recorded the maximum fresh leaf weight with
petiole per rachis (2.12 g), fresh leaf weight without petiole per rachis (1.78 g), fresh leaf
yield per plant (665 g), highest net income of Rs. 1,80,062/ha and benefit : cost ratio of
1 : 3.09.
Key words : Azospirillum, curry leaf, fertigation, Panchagavya, Phosphobacteria
INTRODUCTION
Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii Spreng.)
plays an important role as a condiment in the
culinary preparation of South Indian dishes.
It is a perennial nutritious herbal spice crop
grown for its aromatic leaves. Being a rich
source of protein, carbohydrate, vitamin A and
vitamin C, these are said to be used in many
Ayurvedic and Unani medicines. Curry leaf has
a huge demand in India and abroad which has
made the commodity of immense trade value.
The fresh leaves are exported to Gulf, European
and African countries, etc. The annual growth
pattern of curry leaf showed that it had peaks
in monsoon and summer and its growth was
very limited during winter season. However,
the demand for fresh curry leaf is ever growing
throughout the year. The market price
analysis indicated high returns with poor crop
during winter i. e. during the months of
November, December and January.
Irrigation and fertilizers are the most
important inputs which directly affect the plant
growth, development, yield and quality of
produce. Of late, fertigation i. e. application of
fertilizer through drip irrigation has been found
to dramatically improve the yield and quality
of many horticultural crops (Salo et al., 2000).
Normally, curry leaf is irrigated once in five to
seven days upto three years and once in 15
days afterwards. The information regarding
nutrient management and irrigation
requirement particularly during winter season
is lacking in the case of curry leaf which may
be a suitable remedy to improve growth and
yield during off season. With this background
in consideration, the present study was taken
up to assess the influence of fertigation on
growth and yield of curry leaf.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was conducted on
three years old curry leaf local ecotype
Senkombu grown under 1 x 1 m spacing in
farmers’ field during 2010-11 at Karamadai,
Coimbatore district. The experiment was laid
out in randomised block design with nine
treatmental combinations of fertilizer levels
(50 and 75% recommended dose of fertilizers)
replicated thrice. The fertilizers were applied
as straight fertilizers in the form of urea,
superphosphate and muriate of potash @150 :
25 : 50 g of NPK/plant/year (Kumar et al., 2006)
and it was compared with that of water soluble
fertilizers (19-19-19, superphosphate and multi
K) given through drip irrigation. The following
are the treatment details :
T1Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+ Phosphobacteria
(2.5 kg/ha)+50% RDF (straight
fertilizers)
T2Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria
(2.5 kg/ha)+75% RDF (straight fertilizers)
T3Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria
(2.5 kg/ha)+Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF
(straight fertilizers)
T4Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria
(2.5 kg/ha)+50% RDF (water soluble
fertilizers)
T5Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria
(2.5 kg/ha)+75% RDF (water soluble
fertilizers)
T6Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria
(2.5 kg/ha)+Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF
(water soluble fertilizers)
T7–Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (straight
fertilizers)
T8–Panchagavya 3%+50% RDF (water
soluble fertilizers)
T9–Control (application of straight fertilizers
and flood irrigation)
The biofertilizers were applied as basal,
straight fertilizers were given as soil
application and water soluble fertilizers were
given through drip at weekly intervals. Foliar
spray of 3% Panchagavya was given at monthly
intervals. All the plots were given drip
irrigation and recommended package of
practices were followed. Observations were
recorded on morphological parameters like
plant height, number of secondary branches
per plant, number of leaves per rachis,
estimated yield, physiological parameters viz.,
fresh leaf weight with petiole per rachis, fresh
leaf weight without petiole per rachis, dry leaf
weight with petiole per rachis and dry leaf
weight without petiole per rachis at 15 days
interval. The data recorded were subjected to
statistical scrutiny by adopting the standard
procedures (Panse and Sukhatme, 1985).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The result revealed that fertigation
levels had a significant effect on physiological
parameters viz., fresh leaf weight with petiole
per rachis, fresh leaf weight without petiole
per rachis, dry leaf weight with petiole per
rachis, dry leaf weight without petiole per
rachis and fresh yield per plant (Table 1). A
progressive increase in plant height was
observed at all stages of crop growth. Among
the treatments, T8–Panchagavya 3%+50% RDF
(water soluble fertilizers) produced tallest
plants (68.12 cm), while the treatment T7
Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (straight fertilizers)
produced the maximum number of secondary
branches (27.86) and leaves (19.66). The
possible reason for the acceleration of growth
by the application of Panchagavya might be due
to the presence of nitrogen, the chief
constituent of protein, essential for the
formation of protoplasm which leads to cell
division and cell enlargement (Balkly, 1974).
Fresh leaf weight with petiole per
rachis exhibited significant differences among
different treatments (Table 1). It ranged from
1.62 g in control (T9) to 2.12 g in plants treated
with Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria
(2.5 kg/ha)+Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (water
soluble fertilizers) (T6) which was on par with
2.08 g in T7 (3% Panchagavya as foliar
spray+75% RDF as straight fertilizers) and 2.06
g in T8 (3% Panchagavya as foliar spray+50%
RDF as straight fertilizers). Significant
difference among the various treatments on
fresh leaf weight without petiole per rachis was
also observed. Interestingly, the treatment T6
(Application of Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+
Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+Panchagavya
3%+75% RDF (water soluble fertilizers) and the
treatment T5 [application of Azospirillum (2.5
kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+50% RDF
(water soluble fertilizers)] recorded the
maximum fresh leaf weight without petiole per
rachis (1.78 g). The plants under absolute
control (T9) recorded the lowest value of 1.28 g
as fresh leaf weight without petiole per rachis.
The treatment comprising biofertilizers
showed improvement in fresh weight over
untreated one which might be possible due to
more nutrient uptake, physiological and
biological activities as a result of microbial
462 Aravind, Balakrishnamurthy and Jansirani
Table 1. Effect of fertigation treatments on morphological and physiological characters of curry leaf (Murraya koenigii Spreng.)
Treatment Plant No. of No. of Fresh leaf Fresh leaf Dry leaf Dry leaf
height secondary leaves/ weight weight weight weight
(cm) branches rachis with without with without
petiole/ petiole/ petiole/ petiole/
rachis (g) rachis (g) rachis (g) rachis (g)
T1Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria 59.29 25.26 19.93 1.65 1.28 1.06 0.96
(2.5 kg/ha)+50% RDF (straight fertilizers)
T2Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria 60.12 25.16 18.86 1.68 1.30 1.06 0.96
(2.5 kg/ha)+75% RDF(straight fertilizers)
T3Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 60.44 23.33 19.10 1.70 1.32 1.14 1.03
Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (straight fertilizers)
T4Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 58.05 22.56 19.16 1.82 1.34 1.09 0.94
50% RDF (water soluble fertilizers)
T5Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 63.14 25.70 20.06 1.92 1.78 1.22 1.06
75% RDF (water soluble fertilizers)
T6Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 64.03 26.53 18.40 2.12 1.78 1.22 1.12
Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (water soluble fertilizers)
T7–Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (straight fertilizers) 62.35 27.86 19.66 2.08 1.64 1.30 1.16
T8–Panchagavya 3%+50% RDF (water soluble fertilizers) 68.12 21.13 19.56 2.06 1.53 1.26 1.15
T9–Control 57.49 22.68 16.90 1.62 1.28 1.06 0.96
Mean 61.41 24.61 19.22 1.85 1.42 1.15 1.03
S. Ed 3.24 1.68 1.52 0.11 0.06 0.03 0.04
C. D. (P=0.05) 6.88 3.57 3.23 0.25 0.13 0.08 0.10
Yield of curry leaf during off season 463
activities in rhizosphere and this also resulted
in reduced application of fertilizers.
Among the various treatments,
significant difference was recorded in dry leaf
weight with petiole per rachis of curry leaf
plants (Table 1). It ranged from 1.06 g in
absolute control plants (T9) to 1.30 g in plants
sprayed with 3% Panchagavya+75% RDF as
straight fertilizers (T7) which was on par with
the treatment consisting of spraying 3%
Panchagavya+50% RDF as water soluble
fertilizers (T8). The treatment 3% Panchagavya+
75% RDF as straight fertilizers (T7) registered
the highest value of 1.16 g as dry leaf weight
without petiole per rachis which was on par
with T8 (spraying 3% Panchagavya+50% RDF
as water soluble fertilizers). Hence, it could be
opined that the treatmental influence as spray
of Panchagavya would have influenced much
dry leaf weight without petiole per rachis.
Kanimozhi (2003) also confirmed these results
of influence of Panchagavya on dry leaf weight
in coleus and anthurium, respectively.
Fresh leaf yield per plant of curry leaf
with various treatments exhibited significant
difference among them (Table 2). The increase
in the fresh leaf yield per plant was observed
from 510.36 g in control (T9) plants to 665.00 g
per plant in plants treated with Azospirillum
(2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/
ha)+Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (water soluble
fertilizers) (T6). It also recorded the highest
estimated yield (6.65 t/ha). The increased
synthesis of cytokinin and auxin in the root
tissue by their enhanced activity due to the
application of biofertilizers and Panchagavya
and their simultaneous transport to the
auxillary buds would have resulted in better
vegetative growth. Similar results were also
reported by Benitha (2006) in chrysanthemum.
The high yield may also be due to stable
moisture and nutrient content maintained in
the root zone of the crop by way of frequent
nutrient application and irrigation at shorter
intervals via fertigation, while minimizing
leaching of nutrients from the root zone. This
is in agreement with the findings of Gardenas
et al. (2005).
Economics of cultivation, net profit and
benefit cost : ratio (BCR) were computed taking
the price of the fresh curry leaf as Rs. 40.00
per kg for assessing the net profit in winter
season (Table 2). Among the various
treatments, the plants treated with
Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5
kg/ha)+Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (water
soluble fertilizers) (T6) registered the highest
net income of Rs. 1,80,062/ha and benefit :
cost ratio of 1 : 3.09 followed by the plants
treated with spraying 3% Panchagavya+50%
RDF as water soluble fertilizers (T7) with a net
income of Rs. 1,65,999/ha and benefit : cost
ratio of 1 : 2.92. The least net income of
Rs. 1,17,698/ha and benefit : cost ratio of 1 :
2.36 were observed in the treatment T9 i. e.
control. Hence, it is recommended that
application of Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+
Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+Panchagavya
Table 2. Effect of fertigation treatments on yield and economics of curry leaf (Murraya koenigii Spreng.)
Treatment Fresh leaf Fresh leaf Gross Cost of Net income BCR
yield/ yield income cultivation (Rs./ha)
plant (g) (t/ha) (Rs./ha) (Rs./ha)
T1Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria 547.05 5.47 218820 84251 134569 2.59
(2.5 kg/ha)+50% RDF (straight fertilizers)
T2Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria 521.11 5.21 208400 86441 121959 2.41
(2.5 kg/ha)+75% RDF (straight fertilizers)
T3Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 533.26 5.33 213280 86441 126839 2.46
Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (straight fertilizers)
T4Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 534.99 5.34 213960 92252 121708 2.31
50% RDF (water soluble fertilizers)
T5Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 598.47 5.98 239360 85938 153422 2.78
75% RDF (water soluble fertilizers)
T6Azospirillum (2.5 kg/ha)+Phosphobacteria (2.5 kg/ha)+ 665.00 6.65 266000 85938 180062 3.09
Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (water soluble fertilizers)
T7–Panchagavya 3%+75% RDF (straight fertilizers) 631.11 6.31 252440 86441 165999 2.92
T8–Panchagavya 3%+50% RDF (water soluble fertilizers) 575.11 5.75 230040 92252 137788 2.49
T9–Control 510.36 5.10 204120 86422 117698 2.36
Mean 550.71 5.50
S. Ed 40.23 0.40
C. D. (P=0.05) 85.29 0.85
464 Aravind, Balakrishnamurthy and Jansirani
3%+75% RDF (water soluble fertilizers) should
be done to improve the herbage yield in the off
season crop (winter crop) to fetch more returns.
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grandiflora Tzelev.) cvs. yellow regan and
ravi kiran under polyhouse conditions.
M. Sc. (Hort.) thesis, TNAU, Coimbatore.
Gardenas, A. I., Hopman, J. W., Hanson, B. R.
and Simunek, J. (2005). Two dimensional
modelling of nitrate leaching for various
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Briq. M. Sc. (Hort.) thesis, submitted to
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and Irulappan, I. (2006). Introduction to
Spices, Plantation Crops, Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants. Oxford & IBH Publishing
Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
Panse, V. G. and Sukhatme, P. V. (1985). Statistical
Methods for Agricultural Workers, 4th edn.
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Yield of curry leaf during off season 465
... Fresh leaf weight without rachis was also found maximum in accession no. 10 (2.74g) followed by accession no. 9 (2.65g) with a mean of 2.10g (Table 2). These findings are similar to Aravind et al. (2012) [12] . ...
... Fresh leaf weight without rachis was also found maximum in accession no. 10 (2.74g) followed by accession no. 9 (2.65g) with a mean of 2.10g (Table 2). These findings are similar to Aravind et al. (2012) [12] . ...
... Dry leaf weight without rachis was also found maximum in accession no. 10 (2.04g) followed by accession no. 9 (1.99g) with a mean of 1.45g (Table 2). These results are also similar to Aravind et al. (2012) [12] . ...
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Curry leaves are cultivated on a large scale in parts of South India. Many local types are being grown around the Tamil Nadu region and a local type named Senkaampu is famous for its peculiar aroma. The evaluation was carried out to screen the superior accessions for growth and yield at the Dept. of Spices and Plantation crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu during the rainy season (2020-21). The observations recorded on various growth and yield parameters were subjected to statistical analysis (SPSS). The mean difference was calculated by using the 'F' test at a 5 per cent level of significance. The experiment was laid out in RBD with 3 replications and 30 Curry leaf accessions. Results revealed that accession number 13 recorded maximum plant height (153.67cm), number of secondary branches (16.67), fresh leaf weight with rachis (2.90g), fresh leaf weight without rachis(2.74g), dry leaf weight with rachis(2.17g), dry leaf weight without rachis(2.04g) and fresh leaf yield per plant(885.33g/p). The number of compound leaves production was higher in accession no.28 (52.67). Existing variability among 30 genotypes was accessed during 2020-21. This variation in growth and yield traits observed among the accessions may be utilized for the further breeding programme.
... The Pharma Innovation Journal https://www.thepharmajournal.com [3] who studied fifteen genotypes of curry leaf and observed variations in number of leaflets ranging from 14.17 to 21.35 and width of leaflet ranging from 0.97 to 2.55 cm, whereas Peter (2019) [4] noted the leaflet length ranging from 3.75 to 4.56 cm and width of leaflet range between 1.25 cm to 2.01 cm while working with various germplasm of curry leaf, further, Subha et al. (2010) [6] reported 17 to 20 number of leaflets and Siddappa and Hedge (2011) [5] Significant variations for weight of fresh leaves with rachis and without rachis, weight of dried leaves with rachis and without rachis were also observed by Aravind et al. (2012) [1] in curry leaf, whereas, Chittaragi et al. (2022) [2] reported mean values for fresh leaf weight with rachis (2.90 g), fresh leaf weight without rachis (2.74 g), dry leaf weight with rachis (2.17 g) and dry leaf weight without rachis (2.04 g) while working with curry leaf germplasms. ...
... The Pharma Innovation Journal https://www.thepharmajournal.com [3] who studied fifteen genotypes of curry leaf and observed variations in number of leaflets ranging from 14.17 to 21.35 and width of leaflet ranging from 0.97 to 2.55 cm, whereas Peter (2019) [4] noted the leaflet length ranging from 3.75 to 4.56 cm and width of leaflet range between 1.25 cm to 2.01 cm while working with various germplasm of curry leaf, further, Subha et al. (2010) [6] reported 17 to 20 number of leaflets and Siddappa and Hedge (2011) [5] Significant variations for weight of fresh leaves with rachis and without rachis, weight of dried leaves with rachis and without rachis were also observed by Aravind et al. (2012) [1] in curry leaf, whereas, Chittaragi et al. (2022) [2] reported mean values for fresh leaf weight with rachis (2.90 g), fresh leaf weight without rachis (2.74 g), dry leaf weight with rachis (2.17 g) and dry leaf weight without rachis (2.04 g) while working with curry leaf germplasms. ...
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... The Pharma Innovation Journal https://www.thepharmajournal.com [3] who studied fifteen genotypes of curry leaf and observed variations in number of leaflets ranging from 14.17 to 21.35 and width of leaflet ranging from 0.97 to 2.55 cm, whereas Peter (2019) [4] noted the leaflet length ranging from 3.75 to 4.56 cm and width of leaflet range between 1.25 cm to 2.01 cm while working with various germplasm of curry leaf, further, Subha et al. (2010) [6] reported 17 to 20 number of leaflets and Siddappa and Hedge (2011) [5] Significant variations for weight of fresh leaves with rachis and without rachis, weight of dried leaves with rachis and without rachis were also observed by Aravind et al. (2012) [1] in curry leaf, whereas, Chittaragi et al. (2022) [2] reported mean values for fresh leaf weight with rachis (2.90 g), fresh leaf weight without rachis (2.74 g), dry leaf weight with rachis (2.17 g) and dry leaf weight without rachis (2.04 g) while working with curry leaf germplasms. ...
... The Pharma Innovation Journal https://www.thepharmajournal.com [3] who studied fifteen genotypes of curry leaf and observed variations in number of leaflets ranging from 14.17 to 21.35 and width of leaflet ranging from 0.97 to 2.55 cm, whereas Peter (2019) [4] noted the leaflet length ranging from 3.75 to 4.56 cm and width of leaflet range between 1.25 cm to 2.01 cm while working with various germplasm of curry leaf, further, Subha et al. (2010) [6] reported 17 to 20 number of leaflets and Siddappa and Hedge (2011) [5] Significant variations for weight of fresh leaves with rachis and without rachis, weight of dried leaves with rachis and without rachis were also observed by Aravind et al. (2012) [1] in curry leaf, whereas, Chittaragi et al. (2022) [2] reported mean values for fresh leaf weight with rachis (2.90 g), fresh leaf weight without rachis (2.74 g), dry leaf weight with rachis (2.17 g) and dry leaf weight without rachis (2.04 g) while working with curry leaf germplasms. ...
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The investigation is carried out in Udaipur and Bhilwara region of Southern Rajasthan. The morphological characters i.e., Number of leaflets, Length of leaflet, Width of leaflet, Weight of 100 fresh leaves with rachis and without rachis, Weight of 100 dried leaves with rachis and without rachis. The following observation has been recorded i.e., number of leaflets having wide variation range from 16 to 24.2, length of leaflet ranges from 2.87 to 5.13 cm and width of leaflet with range from 1.45 cm to 2.76 cm and having mean values of 20.68, 4.19 and 2.21, respectively, while for other parameter i.e., 181.24 g to 290.54 g for weight of 100 fresh leaves with rachis, 160.65 g to 274.43 g for weight of 100 rachis without rachis, 70.49 g to 113.72 g for weight of 100 dried leaves with rachis and 56 g to 99 g for weight of 100 dried leaves without rachis. Germplasm CL-10 showed best results in respect to growth parameters among all curry leaf germplasm. Keywords: Curry leaf, Number of leaflets, length of leaflets, width of leaflet, fresh leaf weight, dried leaf weight Introduction Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii L.), an aromatic semi evergreen tree is a perennial leafy vegetable. The leaves of the plant are used extensively for seasoning and flavouring dishes. Murraya leaves are full of antioxidants namely tocopherol, β-carotene and lutein. It is also possessed antioxidative activities providing protection against oxidative stress. Curry leaves are good source of beta carotene. Traditionally fresh leaves, dried leaf powder and essential oil are widely used for flavouring food preparations. The essential oil is also utilized in soap, cosmetic industry and aromatherapy. Branches are used as brushes for clean teeth which protect dental caries caused by bacteria. The sources of the breeding program are largely determined by genetic diversity as well as by key parameters related to adaptation and productivity. The phenotypic expression of the plant characters is mainly controlled by the genetic makeup of the plant and environment. Further, the genetic variance of any quantitative trait is composed of additive variance (heritable) and non-additive variance which include dominance and epistasis (non-allelic) interaction.
... Viji et al. [10] reported that treatment combination of RDF @125% + Azospirillum + PPFM @ 1 % in moringa increase the plant height, number of branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll stability index. Foliar application of panchagavya at 3 % to increased the growth and herbage yield was reported by Sharon et al. [11] in curry leaf. Seaweed extracts are contain phytohormone such as cytokinins, isopentyladenine, dihydrozeatin, and cis-zeatin which have all been linked to positive plant growth in spinach [12]. ...
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A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of soil drenching and foliar application of different biostimulants on physiological and quality parameters of curry leaf (Murraya Koenigii Spreng.) at Karamadai, Coimbatore during 2019 to 2021. This study was laid out in factorial randomized block design with control, factor 1 as soil drenching (D1- humic acid @ 5 ml/plant and D2- jeevamrutham @ 50 ml/plant), factor 2 as foliar spray of different biostimulants (S1- Effective microorganism culture @ 2 %, S2- Egg amino acid @ 1%, S3-Panchagavya @ 3%, S4- Sea weed extract @ 2% and S5- Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrops (PPFM) @ 1 % and control as farmer practices. The experimental results revealed that significantly higher leaf area (9.88 cm2), leaf area index (15.36), chlorophyll a (0.89 mg/g), chlorophyll b (0.66 mg/) and total chlorophyll (1.80 mg/g), relative water content (74.41%) and fresh herbage yield (840.18g) in the treatment D1S3 (Humic acid + Panchagavya @3 %). Quality parameters like essential oil (0.19%) and oleoresin (2.86%) were significantly higher in the treatment D1S4 (Humic acid + sea weed extract).
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Doubling the farmers' income through maximising production per unit drop of water and sustaining soil health is the national goal. Horticulture sector is currently witnessing paradigm shift from 'yield maximisation' to 'enhancement of use efficiencies of irrigation water and nutrients'. Emphasis is on reducing excessive percolation of water along with precious nutrients beyond rhizosphere. Drip-fertigation system has been found to be very effective in achieving the judicious water and fertilizer use efficiency in horticultural crops. In the present day context, lot of emphasis is being given on improving the drip-fertigation practices for horticulture, where the crops are highly responsive to the need-based placement of water and nutrients. Adopting drip-fertigation has been found to increase the yields of horticultural crops by threefold with the same quantities of water and nutrients. It has also been found to improve the quality of crop produce and help the growers in getting better price for their produce. Savings on irrigation water and fertilizer under drip-fertigation are 40-70% and 30-50%, respectively. Critical review of the research outcomes emanating from drip-fertigation strategy in horticultural crops is done in this paper.
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The regular application of nitrogen fertilizers by irrigation is likely responsible for the increase in nitrate concentrations of groundwater in areas dominated by irrigated agriculture. Consequently, sustainable agricultural systems must include environmentally sound irrigation practices. To reduce the harmful effects of irrigated agriculture on the environment, the evaluation of alternative irrigation water management practices is essential. Micro-irrigation offers a large degree of control, enabling accurate application according to crop water requirements, thereby minimize leaching. Furthermore, fertigation allows the controlled placement of nutrients near the plant roots, reducing fertilizer losses through leaching into the groundwater. The presented two-dimensional modeling approach provides information to improve fertigation practices. The specific objective of this project was to assess the effect of fertigation strategy and soil type on nitrate leaching potential for four different micro-irrigation systems. We found that seasonal leaching was the highest for coarse-textured soils, and conclude that fertigation at the beginning of the irrigation cycle tends to increase seasonal nitrate leaching. In contrast, fertigation events at the end of the irrigation cycle reduced the potential for nitrate leaching. For all surface-applied irrigation systems on finer-textured soils, lateral spreading of water and nitrates was enhanced by surface water ponding, causing the water to spread across the surface with subsequent infiltration downwards and horizontal spreading of soil nitrate near the soil surface. Leaching potential increased as the difference between the extent of the wetted soil volume and rooting zone increased.
Effect of fertilization treatments on the yield of Chrysler Imperial rose plants
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