Enhancing coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) performance through sustainable organic practices

Introduction

India, known as the "Land of Spices," is a major producer and exporter of spices, including coriander, which is cultivated primarily in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, contributing about 80% of total production (Talukder et al., 2016; Dubey, 2017) [21,5] . Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), an annual herb of the Apiaceae family, is valued for its aromatic seeds and nutrient-rich leaves, widely used in culinary and medicinal applications (Bhat et al., 2014) [1] . Organic farming, which enhances soil health through organic inputs like vermicompost and bio-fertilizers, is gaining prominence due to its eco-friendly nature and ability to improve crop yield (Charyulu and Dwivedi, 2017; Kaur et al., 2015) [2,6] . Biofertilizers such as Azotobacter and Azospirillum help fix nitrogen, reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers and promoting sustainable spice production (Malhotra et al., 2006) [9] . This study aims to assess the effect of organic manures on coriander's growth and seed yield and identify the best manure combinations to optimize production.

Materials and Methods

The present study entitled "Effect of Organic Manures on Growth and Seed Yield in Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.)" was carried out during 2021-2023 in Sendurai village, Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu. The experiment followed a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 13 treatments replicated three times. Treatments involved different combinations of vermicompost, sheep manure and cattle manure at varying rates, along with seed treatment or soil application of Azospirillum and Azotobacter. The treatments were as follows: T 1 -Vermicompost 3 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Seed treatment, T 2 -Vermicompost 3 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Soil application, T 3 -Vermicompost 4 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Seed treatment, T 4 -Vermicompost 4 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Soil application, T 5 -Sheep manure 5 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Seed treatment, T 6 -Sheep manure 5 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Soil application, T 7 -Sheep manure 10 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Seed treatment, T 8 -Sheep manure 10 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Soil application, T 9 -Cattle manure 5 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Seed treatment, T 10 -Cattle manure 5 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Soil application, T 11 -Cattle manure 10 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Seed treatment, T 12 -Cattle manure 10 t/ha (Azospirillum + Azotobacter) Soil application and T 13 -Control. Each plot measured 2 m × 2 m, with a spacing of 20 cm × 15 cm, accommodating 130 plants per plot. Coriander seeds, collected farmers' fields, exhibited bushy erect plants with dark shiny foliage, good plant vigor and dual-purpose utility. Before sowing, the seeds were rubbed to split into two halves and sown in furrows at a depth of 2-2.5 cm, followed by light irrigation. Organic manures were calculated according to treatment combinations and incorporated into the soil one week before sowing. Bio-fertilizers Azospirillum and Azotobacter were applied as per the treatment schedule at the time of sowing. Growth and seed yield parameters were recorded to assess the effects of organic manures and bio-fertilizers on coriander performance. The mean of five plants was taken for analysis. The data recorded were subjected to statistical analysis by adopting the standard procedure of Panse and Sukhatme (1985) [14] . The critical differences were arrived at 5 percent probability significance.

Result and Discussion

The data presented in Table 1 indicate significant variations among treatments regarding Other attributes related to yield viz., umbels plant -1 , umbellate umbel -1 , seeds umbellate -1 and yield (per plant, plot and hectare) were significantly affected by the application of organic manures and biofertilizers in coriander. Flowering patterns also varied across treatments. The earliest flowering occurred in T 4 (26.39 days), with T 12 (27.97 days) and T 6 (29.55 days) following, while T 13 took the longest (45.28 days), succeeded by T 7 (43.71 days) and T 9 (42.15 days). The earliest 50% flowering was recorded in T 4 (41.72 days), followed by T 12 (43.70 days) and T 6 (45.69 days), whereas T 13 had the most delayed 50% flowering (65.48 days), with T 7 (63.50 days) and T 9 (61.53 days) closely behind. The enhanced flowering response observed with organic and bio-fertilizer treatments may be attributed to improvements in the soil environment, including physicochemical and biological conditions, which facilitated better nitrogen and phosphorus availability two key nutrients for plant growth and yield in coriander (Sanwal et al., 2022) [17] . These findings align with previous reports by Tripathi et al. (2019) [22] in coriander. The highest number of umbels per plant was recorded in T 4 (18.74), followed by T 12 (17.69) and T 6 (16.63), suggesting improved flowering with these treatments. The lowest number of umbels per plant was observed in T 13 (5.99), followed by T 7 (7.06) and T10 (7.05). The result might be due to application of vermicompost with biofertilizers has improvement of biological activities of soil and mineral element absorption which, leads to more biomass production and subsequently enhanced number of umbels per plant. Darzi et al., (2015) [4] has suggested that, vermicompost increases the growth rate and yield attributing parameters through gradual mineralization, water and mineral uptake in coriander. According to Sanwal et al. (2022) [17] report, in coriander the maximum umbels plant -1 might be accountable to lush vegetation development which leads to increase in number of umbellate umbel -1 , number of seeds umbellate -1 and seed yield. The antibiotics, growth hormone and enzymes are available in vermicompost it may be factor for best results in coriander. This is in accordance to the findings of Choudhary and Jat (2004) [3] in fenugreek, Metha et al. (2007) [10] in Ajwain, Singh et al. (2012) [11] , Sonali et al. (2012) [19] in fenugreek. Similar observations were reported by Mounika et al. (2017) [11] and Suman et al. (2018) [20] in coriander. The maximum number of seeds per umbel was found in T 4 (14.46), followed by T 12 (13.60) and T 6 (12.73), indicating better seed formation. The least number of seeds per umbel was recorded in T 13 (3.97), followed by T 7 (4.84) and T 9 (5.70). The result might be due to the balanced nutrition of biofertilizers and organic manures in establishment of proliferous root system and higher absorption of nutrients and water with enhanced physical environment. Numbers of umbellate per umbel, were highest with the combine application of biofertilizers and organic manures. The present results are in close accordance with the findings of Darzi et al., (2015) [4] and Patidar et al., (2016) [15] in coriander. The highest number of seeds per umbellate was observed in T 4 (8.61), followed closely by T 12 (8.06) and T 6 (7.49). On the other hand, T 13 recorded the lowest number of seeds per umbellate (1.81), with T 7 (2.39) and T 9 (2.96) following. This might be due to, number of seeds per umbel, of coriander influenced significantly due to various organic treatments. However, the progressive increase in yield attributing traits might be attributed to increase in growth parameters due to balance nutrition, which might have resulted in accelerating the photosynthetic activities and improved the sink. The present findings are in close conformity with the findings of Kumar et al., (2015) [7] in coriander. Seed yield per plant was the highest in T 4 (8.12 g), with T 12 (7.86 g) and T 6 (7.61 g) also showing good performance. The lowest seed yield per plant was observed in T 13 (5.05 g), followed by T 7 (5.29 g) and T 9 (5.56 g). In terms of seed yield per plot, T 4 (1.07 kg) recorded the highest yield, followed by T 12 (1.04 kg) and T 6 (1.01 kg). The lowest seed yield per plot was observed in T 13 (0.67 kg), with T 7 (0.70 kg) and T 9 (0.73 kg) recording slightly higher values. Seed yield per hectare was also significantly higher in T 4 (15.62 q), followed by T 12 (14.98 q) and T 6 (14.33 q), while T 13 registered the lowest (7.90 q), followed by T 7 (8.54 q) and T 9 (9.17 q). The improved yield and yield components may be attributed to the balanced and readily available supply of essential nutrients. Enhanced plant height and the number of branches per plant likely contributed to increased photosynthetic activity and better translocation of photosynthates towards the sink organs (umbels and seeds). The favorable effect on yield attributes might also result from the improved availability of major, secondary and micronutrients due to vermicompost and bio-fertilizers, promoting better synthesis and partitioning of assimilates to sink tissues (Tripathi et al., 2013) [22] in coriander.

According to Munnu Singh et al. (2011) [12] , the available phosphorus present in vermicompost may significantly contribute to increased seed yield in coriander. Kumari Pushpa et al. (2022) [8] reported a steady and higher availability of nutrients from vermicompost and biofertilizers throughout the crop growth period, resulting in improved seed yield in fenugreek. Similar findings were reported by Raghuwanshi et al. (2016) [16] and Verma et al.

(2017) [23] . The highest test weight was observed in T 4 (9.62 g), followed by T 12 (9.07 g) and T 6 (8.51 g), indicating better seed quality. Conversely, the lowest test weight was recorded in T 13 (2.90 g), followed by T 7 (3.45 g) and T 9 (4.02 g). These findings are quite similar findings to that of present findings were reported by Yadav (2010) [24] and Nareshbhai (2019) [13] in coriander. An increase in the test weight of 1000 seeds might be due to increased supply of major plant nutrients.

Conclusion

The study clearly demonstrated that treatment T 4 (Vermicompost 4 t/ha + Azospirillum and Azotobacter soil application) was the most effective among all the treatments tested for coriander. T 4 consistently outperformed others by promoting early flowering, enhancing floral traits such as the number of umbels per plant, seeds per umbel, and seeds per umbellate, and significantly improving yield parameters including seed yield per plant, per plot, and per hectare. Additionally, it recorded the highest test weight, indicating superior seed quality. These results suggest that the application used in Vermicompost, Azospirillum and Azotobacter through soil application can be recommended as the best practice for maximizing growth, yield, and quality in coriander cultivation.

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