Effect of organic and bio fertilizer on the growth and yield of quinoa

Introduction

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a stress-tolerant, highly nutritious crop with grains rich in protein (approx. 14.6%), essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and saponins. It contains about 60% starch and 8% lipids, with 54% linoleic and 20% oleic acid. Quinoa is also a good source of thiamine, folic acid, and vitamin C. In 2017, 146.7 tons were harvested from 173.2 ha, with an average yield of 847 kg/ha. Quinoa flour can be blended with wheat for more nutritious bread (Mansour, 2019). Compost improves soil health and yield, making its use essential for sustainable farming. The addition of organic amendments increased plant growth, height, fresh biomass, and grain yield in quinoa. The combined use of compost and bio-fertilizer has a significant impact when compared to bio-fertilizer application alone (Gill et al., 2020) [3] . The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of bio-fertilizers and compost application to study the effect on the growth, yield and quality of quinoa. As the global demand for quinoa rises, there is a need to adopt sustainable agricultural practices to enhance its yield while maintaining environmental health. Organic and biofertilizers offer a promising alternative to synthetic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers, such as compost and farmyard manure, improve soil structure and nutrient content, while biofertilizers like phosphate solubilizing bacteria biofertilizer and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance nutrient availability through biological processes. This study investigates the effects of different organic and biofertilizers on quinoa's growth and yield. The crop growth was stunned however AMF symbiosis improves nutrient acquisition, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, which are vital for quinoa growth. According to a study by Benaffari et al. (2022) [1] . AMF inoculation has been shown to enhance quinoa's ability to withstand drought stress. In a study by Benaffari et al. (2022) [1] , AMF application increased the total protein content in quinoa seeds by 8% under water-stressed conditions. PSB strains significantly improved plant height, root length, shoot and root dry weight in quinoa under field conditions Rafique et al (2022) [5] Benaffari et al. (2022) [1] investigated the residual effects of compost and manure fertilizers on quinoa production. The study found that manure applied at 40 tons per hectare resulted in the highest quinoa plant height, chlorophyll content index (CCI), grain yield, total plant biomass, and nutrient uptake over three years. This improvement was attributed to the enhanced soil organic matter (SOM) content, which improved soil health and nutrient availability. Bone meal, a phosphorus-rich organic fertilizer, can enhance quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) growth and yield by improving phosphorus availability and soil health. Although direct studies on quinoa are limited, related research on phosphorus fertilization and organic inputs supports its positive effects. Research by Ghosh et al. (2022) [2] examined the impact of rice straw incorporation on soil fertility and microbial activity. The study found that incorporating rice straw into the soil increased organic matter content, improved nutrient availability, and enhanced microbial biomass, which are beneficial for quinoa growth.

Materials and Methods

The experiment entitled "Effects of organic and bio-fertilizer on growth and yield of quiona. (Chenopodium quinoa Willd)''was carried out at agriculture field, Jollang, college of agriculture, Himalayan University, during the period of Rabi season of November 7 2024. The experimental farm is situated at 27.074684, N latitude and 93.652878 E longitude with an average elevation of 320 meters. It was undertaken with the objective to analyze the different rice verities and to assess their performance in Rabi season. The result of experiment entitled "effect of organic and bio fertilizer on the growth and yield of quinoa (Chenopodiom quinoa wild)" was carried out during Rabi season of 2024 with 7 treatments and with 2 replication in randomized block design at the central crop research farm, department of agriculture, Himalayan university. The different treatments were allocated randomly in each replication of the investigation are summarized. The experiment was conducted in a medium land with irrigation facility. The soil was sandy loam and loamy sandy in texture. The bulk soil samples (0-15 cm depth) were collected from the field before the commencement of the experiment (2024) and tested for important soil properties using the standard procedures.

Treatment

Results and Discussions of Yield Attributes

A. effect of organic and bio fertilizer on grain yield plant -1 (g) of quinoa (chenopodium quinoa wild) At harvest, the highest grain yield was recorded in T3 (chicken manure + phosphate solubilizing bacteria) at 64 t/ha, followed by T2 (chicken manure + arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) at 58.5 t/ha. The lowest yield was in the control (T1) at 42.9 t/ha. The increased yield in T3 is due to improved phosphorus availability, root development, and resource allocation to seed production, as supported. The highest stover yield was observed in T3 (chicken manure + PSB) at 24.7 t/ha, followed by T2 (chicken manure + AMF) at 22.23 t/ha, while the lowest was in T1 (control) at 13.36 t/ha. The increase in stover yield is due to enhanced nutrient uptake, soil fertility, and biomass production from the combined use of chicken manure and PSB.

Panicle length (cm) at harvest showed significant variation across treatments. The highest panicle length was recorded in T3 (chicken manure + phosphate solubilizing bacteria) at 19.3 cm, statistically at par with T2 (chicken manure + arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) at 17.5 cm. The shortest panicle length was observed in T1 (control) at 12.6 cm. The combined use of chicken manure and PSB significantly enhanced panicle length by improving phosphorus and nitrogen availability, boosting plant metabolism and reproductive growth. Organic fertilizers like chicken manure improve soil health and nutrient uptake (Verma et al., 2019) [6] , while PSB enhances phosphorus acquisition, leading to better yields (Ali et al., 2021).

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe authors are thankful to depart of agronomy, Himalayan