Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth characters Italian aster (Aster amellus L.) cv. Purple Multipetal

Introduction

Italian Aster (Aster amellus L.), commonly known as Michaelmas daisy, is an ornamental flowering plant valued for its attractive blooms and prolonged flowering period. It contributes significantly to both domestic landscapes and the cut flower industry due to its vibrant colors and flower longevity. Successful cultivation of ornamental crops largely depends on nutrient management, which influences plant growth, flower quality, and aesthetic appeal. Traditionally, the application of chemical fertilizers has been the primary approach to supply nutrients. However, continuous use of inorganic fertilizers negatively impacts soil health, reduces microbial activity, and leads to nutrient imbalances. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), a strategy that combines organic, inorganic, and biofertilizer sources is gaining recognition for sustaining soil fertility, enhancing plant growth, and maximizing nutrient use efficiency (Sharma, 2024) [13] . Bio fertilizers or more appropriately called microbial inoculants are the preparations containing live or latent cells of efficient strains of micro organisms. These may be biological nitrogen fixers, P-solubilizing, mineralization of nitrogen and transformation of several elements like sulphur and iron into available forms. These bio-fertilizers benefit agriculture production by supplying nutrients. Common bio-fertilizers used in horticulture crops are Azotobacter, Azospirillum, and PSB and VAM fungi. Azotobacter is a free living N fixing bacteria and it can be applied in many non-leguminous crops. Besides, it is also known to promote the production of certain growth substances like auxins, gibberellins and cytokinins. Azospirillum is a nonsymbiotic, N fixing bacterium. Azotobacter and Azospirillum fixes atmospheric nitrogen when inoculated to plants, which help to save the application of N fertilizers to an extent of 20-25% (Krushnaiah, 2018) [2] .

Recently, emphasis has been given on the possibility of utilizing indigenously available rock phosphate. By the addition of PSB the unavailable forms of P are converted to the available forms, increasing P uptake and leading to increased yield. Integrated nutrient management plays an important role in improving the soil structure, physico-chemical properties and flower yield. At present, these nutrients are supplied through chemical fertilizers. The indiscriminate and continuous use of chemical fertilizers has led to an imbalance of nutrients in soil which has adversely affected the soil health, affecting the yield and quality of the produce. Therefore, the use of organic manures and bio fertilizers along with the balance use of chemical fertilizers is known to improve physico-chemical and biological properties of soil, besides improving the efficiency of applied fertilizers as well as crop yield and quality. No attempts have been made so far to study the combinational efficiency of organic as well as inorganic fertilizers on growth and chlorophyll content of daisy. Besides the above facts, to get higher flower yield, the use of bio fertilizers (viz., Azospirillum and Phospho-bacteria) along with organic manures with balanced use of inorganic fertilizers is of paramount importance in Horticulture in general and Floriculture in particular. Since the Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) concept is one of the eco-friendly approaches, the INM approaches not only improve the quality of the produce but also help in improving the soil fertility including the biosphere by reducing the cost of production (Krushnaiah, et al., 2019) [3] . Chlorophyll content is a vital physiological indicator of plant health and directly correlates with photosynthetic capacity, vegetative vigor, and overall productivity. In ornamentals like Italian Aster, higher chlorophyll content often leads to improved leaf color, sturdier plants, and enhanced flowering attributes. Therefore, understanding the effects of INM on growth dynamics and chlorophyll synthesis is essential for optimizing production practices (Manohar, 2019) [7] . Bio fertilizers or more appropriately called microbial inoculants are the preparations containing live or latent cells of efficient strains of micro organisms. These may be biological nitrogen fixers, P-solubilizing, mineralization of nitrogen and transformation of several elements like sulphur and iron into available forms. These bio-fertilizers benefit agriculture production by supplying nutrients. Common bio-fertilizers used in horticulture crops are Azotobacter, Azospirillum, and PSB and VAM fungi. Azotobacter is a free living N fixing bacterium and it can be applied in many non-leguminous crops. Besides, it is also known to promote the production of certain growth substances like auxins, gibberellins and cytokinins. Azospirillum is a non-symbiotic, N fixing bacterium. Azotobacter and Azospirillum fixes atmospheric nitrogen when inoculated to plants, which help to save the application of N fertilizers to an extent of 20-25 per cent (Yadav, 2022) [15] Recently, emphasis has been given on the possibility of utilizing indigenously available rock phosphate. By the addition of PSB the unavailable forms of P are converted to the available forms, increasing P uptake and leading to increased yield.

Materials and Methods Experimental Site and Climate

The experiment was conducted on Agricultural Research Institute) Rajendranagar, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Hyderabad during September 2017 to January 2018. The experimental site falls under subtropical climate zone with an average rainfall of 800 mm located at an altitude of 542.3 m above MSL on 17.90 0 N latitude and 78.23 0 E longitudes.

Plant Material

Certified healthy seedlings of Italian Aster (Aster amellus L.) cv. "Purple Multipetal" were procured from a certified nursery. Seedlings of uniform size were selected and transplanted.

Soil Characteristics

Prior to transplanting, soil samples were collected from 0-15 cm depth and analyzed for physical and chemical properties. Soil of the experimental site was sandy clay loamy soil with pH of 7.7 and EC of 0.43 dS/m. It consisted of 165 kg/ha of available nitrogen and 36.1 kg/ha of phosphorus and 144 kg/ha of potassium with uniform topography.

Experimental Design

The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with three replications.

Treatment details

Method of application

Slurry of 200 g of Azospirillum and PSB was prepared in 1000 ml of jaggery solution (100 g of jaggery in 1000 ml of water) individually and combination of both 100 g Azospirillum and 100 g PSB. (Verma et al., 2011) [14] . The rooted suckers of daisy were dipped in the slurry for about 30 minutes before transplanting.

Transplanting and Cultural Practices

Seedlings were transplanted at a spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm. Standard crop management practices such as irrigation, weeding, staking, and plant protection were uniformly followed across all plots. Data taken best 5 selected plant.

Data Collection

Observations were recorded at 30, 60, and 90 days after transplanting (DAT) for the following parameters: • Leaf Area (cm²): Using a leaf area meter or by nondestructive measurement formula.

Growth

• Number of suckers per plant (No.):

The number of suckers produced by each tagged plant were counted and their mean was calculated

Statistical Analysis

Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using statistical software [Opstat] and Panse and Sukhatme (1985) [9] at 5% significance level.

Results and Discussion

The mean data pertaining to plant height of Italian aster (Aster amellus L.) cv. Purple multipetal" as influenced by integrated nutrient management is presented in [1] .

It was evident from on the data presented in table 1 that plant spread varied significantly on application of integrated nutrient management. There was significant effect of integrated nutrient management on Plant spread (E-W). The maximum plant spread (17.23, 28.36, 30.52 and 34.30 cm) was recorded in T 7 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through VC + Azo + PSB) at 30, 60, 90 and 120 DAP respectively. This was significantly followed with T 8 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM + Azo + PSB). The minimum plant spread (E-W) (9.33 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM) at 30 DAP, it was on par with T 2 (RDF 50% +RDF 50% through VC) and T 3 (RDF 50% +RDF 50% through VC + Azo). At 60 DAP the minimum plant spread (E-W) (18.60 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM) and it was on par with T 2 (RDF 50%+RDF 50% through VC) At 90 DAP, significantly minimum plant spread (E-W) (19.43 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM) and 120 DAP the minimum plant spread (E-W) (24.13 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM) and it was on par with T 2 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through VC). Remaining other treatments showed intermediate results. Similar as reported as Kumawat, et al., 2017) [5] .

The data presented in Remaining other treatments showed intermediate results. The increase in plant spread on the combined application of Azospirillum, PSB and vermicompost might be due to their beneficial effect in combination with the inorganic fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers might have supplied the optimum macronutrients, whereas, bio fertilizers might have provided growth promoting substances (Krushnaiah, et al. 2018) [2] . [8] . Similar findings were also reported by Sathyanarayana et al. (2017) [12] in gladiolus.

Number of leaves per plant

It is clear from the data presented in table 1 pertaining to leaf length (cm) is significantly influenced by integrated nutrient management. The maximum leaf length (14.66, 17.50 and 19.50 cm) was recorded in T 7 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through VC + Azo + PSB) at 30, 60 and 90 DAP respectively, which was significantly followed by T 8 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM + Azo + PSB). The minimum leaf length (9.33 and 12.20 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM) at 30 and 60 DAP respectively and was on par with T 2 (RDF 50%+RDF 50% through VC). At 90 DAP the minimum leaf length (13.70 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM). Remaining other treatments showed intermediate results. Azospirillum and PSB increased the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus to the plants and might have produced several growth hormones viz. auxins, cytokinins and gibberellins etc., which may have the influence on leaf length. The reduction in leaf length in T 5 might be due to the lack of nutrition to the plants which received half dose of RDF through inorganic and other half dose through FYM, hence, in the absence of bio fertilizers they could not assimilate required food materials to support the vegetative growth similar as reported as (Krushnaiah, et al., 2018) [2] .

The leaf width is significantly affected by integrated nutrient management. (Table 2 and fig. 2). The maximum leaf width (1.66, 2.72 and 2.85 cm) was recorded in T 7 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through VC + Azo + PSB) at 30, 60 and 90 DAP respectively, which was significantly followed by T 8 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM + Azo + PSB). At 30 DAP the minimum leaf width (0.93 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM). At 60 and 90 DAP the minimum leaf width (1.60 and 1.76 cm) was recorded in T 5 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through FYM) respectively and was on par with T 2 (RDF 50% + RDF 50% through VC). Closed as result reported as Kumari, et al., 2014) [4] .

The data in the [6] . [10] .

Number of

References

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