Effect of different organic manures on production of leaf biomass of a potential medicinal plant Adhatoda vasica Nees. was studied at Dibrugarh University under Upper Brahmaputra Valley Agroclimatic Zone of India duri...Effect of different organic manures on production of leaf biomass of a potential medicinal plant Adhatoda vasica Nees. was studied at Dibrugarh University under Upper Brahmaputra Valley Agroclimatic Zone of India during 2008-2010. The aim was to know about the agronomic requirements of the wild medicinal plant for its organic cultivation. The plant reproduces by vegetative means through stem cutting. The nursery plants were prepared from the terminal soft-wood cuttings. The experiments were laid down in RBD with 3 m ×6 m block sizes. Cowdung, compost and vermicompost were used as organic manure. Manures were applied at three levels eg. cowdung at 12.0, 19.5 and 27.0 t ha-1 compost at 7.5, 15.0 and 27.7 t ha-1 and vermicompost at 2.5, 3.0 and 3.75 t ha-1. Eighty percent of every dose was applied one week ahead of plantation and the rest was applied after two months of plantation. Irrigation was not necessary as usual rainfall occurred during the period. Hand weeding was done first time after two months of plantation and again just before application of the second part of the manure. Mature leaves were first harvested by picking them in the first week of October to avoid loss due to leaf fall and finally all the leaves were harvested by teaming the branches in second week of November. In the next year, the mature leaves of the newly sprouted branches on the teamed plants were harvested in May and the final harvest was done by teaming the branches again in October. The total leaf biomass was expressed in t ha-1 （dry wt.）. The total nitrogen in the manure was determined by kjeldahl method, phosphorus by spectrophotometric method and potassium by flame photometric method, pH in 1：5 water suspension and organic matter by Walkley and Black＇s titration method. Maximum leaf biomass （2.74 t ha1） and economic benefit （Rs. 30,941 ha-1） were obtained in cowdung at 27.0 t ha-1 followed by cowdung at 19.5 t ha-1（2.50 t hal and Rs. 26,955 ha-1）, compost at 22.7 t ha-1 （2.35 t ha-1 and Rs. 22,132 hal）. Organic cultivation ofA. vasica, using locally available and cheap organic manures like cowdung and compost is highly encouraging. The technique is eco-friendly and its value will be many times more if it is calculated in terms of environmental health. The technique is therefore, recommended for sustainable management of the wild and important medicinal plant of this Agroclimatic Zone. Vermicompost is not advisable because of its higher input cost than the others.展开更多
文摘Effect of different organic manures on production of leaf biomass of a potential medicinal plant Adhatoda vasica Nees. was studied at Dibrugarh University under Upper Brahmaputra Valley Agroclimatic Zone of India during 2008-2010. The aim was to know about the agronomic requirements of the wild medicinal plant for its organic cultivation. The plant reproduces by vegetative means through stem cutting. The nursery plants were prepared from the terminal soft-wood cuttings. The experiments were laid down in RBD with 3 m ×6 m block sizes. Cowdung, compost and vermicompost were used as organic manure. Manures were applied at three levels eg. cowdung at 12.0, 19.5 and 27.0 t ha-1 compost at 7.5, 15.0 and 27.7 t ha-1 and vermicompost at 2.5, 3.0 and 3.75 t ha-1. Eighty percent of every dose was applied one week ahead of plantation and the rest was applied after two months of plantation. Irrigation was not necessary as usual rainfall occurred during the period. Hand weeding was done first time after two months of plantation and again just before application of the second part of the manure. Mature leaves were first harvested by picking them in the first week of October to avoid loss due to leaf fall and finally all the leaves were harvested by teaming the branches in second week of November. In the next year, the mature leaves of the newly sprouted branches on the teamed plants were harvested in May and the final harvest was done by teaming the branches again in October. The total leaf biomass was expressed in t ha-1 （dry wt.）. The total nitrogen in the manure was determined by kjeldahl method, phosphorus by spectrophotometric method and potassium by flame photometric method, pH in 1：5 water suspension and organic matter by Walkley and Black＇s titration method. Maximum leaf biomass （2.74 t ha1） and economic benefit （Rs. 30,941 ha-1） were obtained in cowdung at 27.0 t ha-1 followed by cowdung at 19.5 t ha-1（2.50 t hal and Rs. 26,955 ha-1）, compost at 22.7 t ha-1 （2.35 t ha-1 and Rs. 22,132 hal）. Organic cultivation ofA. vasica, using locally available and cheap organic manures like cowdung and compost is highly encouraging. The technique is eco-friendly and its value will be many times more if it is calculated in terms of environmental health. The technique is therefore, recommended for sustainable management of the wild and important medicinal plant of this Agroclimatic Zone. Vermicompost is not advisable because of its higher input cost than the others.
