Effect of Vrikshayurveda based herbal Kunapjala (liquid biofertilizer) on growth, flower yield and essential oil quality of Matricaria chamomilla L.
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Date
2021-12
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted during December 2020 to April 2021 at “Medicinal Plants Research and Development Centre” (MRDC), G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, U.S. Nagar (Uttarakhand)to study the “Effect of Vrikshayurveda based herbal Kunapjala (Liquid BioFertilizer) on Growth, Flower Yield and Essential Oil Quality of Matricaria chamomilla L.” The experiment was conducted in randomized block design containing 10 treatments with three replications. Three different types of Kunapjala at three different doses were compared to RDF for improvement of vegetative, floral and essential oil attributes of M. chamomila in field conditions. The soil of experimental field wassandy clay loam with pH (6.67), EC (0.101dS/m), organic carbon (0.68%), available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (183.57, 20.18 and 188.51 kg/ha respectively). In the present investigation, RDF showed significantly higher values of all vegetative parameters which was very close to the values obtained by higher doses of herbal Kunapjala. The different floral parameters were significantly affected by different treatments. Though number of flowers and flower yield was higher in T10 (RDF), the highest doses of nettle based Kunapjala (T3) promoted early bud initiation and flower diameter. Similarly, maximum oil content (0.27 %) was also obtained in T3. Number of bioactive compounds in essential oil were also highest (33) with nettle based Kunapjala. The higher doses of Kunapjala increased the process of mineralization making the essential nutrients (NPK) available to plants similar to that provided by the chemical fertilizers. The value of TPC and TFC also showed dose dependent increase with increasing doses of herbal Kunapjala and was found maximum in T3 which in turn increased the antioxidant potential of M. chamomilla. There was seen a dose dependent increase with increasing Kunapjala dosage and hence optimization of the Kunapjala doses is essential for field application in different crops. Hence, from the results of present investigation it can be concluded that the Vrikshayurveda based herbal Kunapjala prepared from easily available livestock excreta, agricultural weeds and other common household organic products can be used as a successful and sustainable alternative to the chemical fertilizers for increasing crop productivity and soil fertility. As the experiment was conducted for just one season, one more year of investigation is required for the validation of the results obtained.