Influence of foliar application of vitamins on yield, economics and correlation studies of turmeric

Introduction

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been originated from tropical South East Asia and belongs to Zingiberaceae family. It is often called as "Indian saffron'' and "Golden spice" and also "Kitchen queen" which produces bright yellowish orange rhizomes below the ground. (Ferreira et al., 2013) [7] . Turmeric is mainly used as spice in culinary, cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations due to its medicinal properties. India is the major producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world and commercially cultivated in different states. Turmeric has long been revered in Indian traditional Ayurvedic medicine for its healing properties. It has been used to cure numerous ailments, such as inflammation, wounds, infections, diarrhoea, arthritis, injuries, jaundice and other liver-related problems. In Unani medicine, turmeric is considered one of the safest herbs for treating blood disorders due to its blood-purifying and stimulating effects. Turmeric comprises of curcumin, is widely utilized in the medicinal industry for its various beneficial properties, including antioxidant, anti-arthritic, antimutagenic and antimicrobial effects also shown potential in combating Alzheimer's disease (Mane et al., 2018) [23] . In addition to curcumin, turmeric rhizomes have a variety of secondary metabolites that enhance their quality and therapeutic qualities (Kim et al., 2011) [19] . Nutritional analysis of turmeric reveals that 100 g of the spice comprises 390 kcal, with 49.2 g of total carbohydrates, 21 g of fibre, 7.66 g of protein, 5.03 g of total fat, 0.1 g of calcium along with 0.23 g of phosphorus, 10 mg of sodium, 2300 mg of potassium, 46 mg of iron, 0.06 mg of thiamine and 0.01 mg of riboflavin (Kumar et al., 2011) [21] . A wide range of plant growth promoting substances are used for enhancement of the yield and quality of crops and helps to increase their nutrient and water use efficiency. Application of vitamins as alternative to conventional growth regulators, which can enhance plant growth, development and overall yield while minimizing their negative effects on the environment. Vitamins are necessary organic substances that are present in trace amounts to preserve their natural form and are necessary for healthy plant development and growth (Hassanein et al., 2009) [11] . They possess antioxidant properties, playing a key role in protecting plants from oxidative stress brought on by adverse circumstances, and contributing to the productivity of agricultural and horticultural crops (Robinson, 1973) [25] .

Vitamins acting as coenzymes, altering variables that regulate many physiological processes, including enzyme synthesis and stimulating growth even at low concentrations, these bio-regulator chemicals have a major impact on plant growth (Aziz et al., 2009) [5] . According to Kodendaramaiah and Rao (1985) [20] , Bvitamins indirectly support plant growth and development by raising the endogenous levels of several growth factors, including gibberellins and cytokinin. The application of ascorbic acid (100 ppm) resulted in considerably increased average tuber weight and marketable yield of potato (Gouda et al., 2015) [10] . Coriander plants sprayed with 50 mM folic acid exhibited the highest levels of fresh biomass in the plants ( Khan et al., 2022) [18] . Foliar application of niacin (200 ppm) greatly enhanced the plant height and dry weight of onion bulbs grown under salinity conditions (Hussein et al., 2014) [15] . Vendruscolo et al. (2023) [27] found that combine applying thiamine and niacin 100 mg l -1 of each on lettuce cultivars considerably improved the fresh biomass by 30% when compared to the control. Nahed et al. (2009) [24] demonstrated that the Gladiolus grandiflorum L. plants exhibited enhanced vegetative growth and flowering with the application of thiamine and ascorbic acid at 100 ppm.

Materials and Methods

The field trial was conducted at Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal during 2023-24 and 2024-25. The foremost objective of the research is to study the influence of most effective vitamin and their optimum concentration for improving the yield, economic returns and their correlation between the growth, yield and quality parameters. The experiment designed in completely randomised block design with 17 treatments and three replications. The land was ploughed thoroughly and divided into small plots (3m×1m). Application of FYM @ 25 t ha -1 and basal dose of fertilisers were applied during land preparation and seed rhizomes were planted at a spacing of 30cm×25cm. Recommended dose of fertilizers (NPK-150:60:150 kg ha -1 ) were applied in split doses at basal, 45 and 60 days after planting including control. Ascorbic acid, Thiamine, Folate and Niacin (25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm) were applied three times at 60, 90 and 120 days after planting. Intercultural operations such as irrigation, mulching, weeding, earthing up and were done at regular intervals.

Treatment details

T 1 -Ascorbic acid @ 25 ppm T 2 -Ascorbic acid @ 50 ppm T 3 -Ascorbic acid @ 75 ppm T 4-Ascorbic acid @ 100 ppm T 5 -Thiamine @ 25 ppm T 6 -Thiamine @ 50 ppm T 7 -Thiamine @ 75 ppm T 8 -Thiamine @ 100 ppm T 9 -Folate @ 25 ppm T 10-Folate @ 50 ppm T 11-Folate @ 75 ppm T 12-Folate @ 100 ppm T 13-Niacin @ 25 ppm T 14-Niacin @ 50 ppm T 15-Niacin @ 75 ppm T 16-Niacin @ 100 ppm T 17-Control (Water spray)

The projected or total yield of rhizomes per hectare was calculated based on plot yield, considering 75% area occupied by turmeric in the present experiment (Anon, 1995) [4] . Total curcumin production per hectare also calculated through multiplication of projected yield with dry recovery percentage and curcumin content and finally expressed in kg ha -1 . The economic assessment for the different treatments was done based on cost of production, gross return and net return considering the cost of inputs and market price of the produce during the period of experimentation (Shively, 2012) [26] .

Net returns Benefit cost ratio =

Statistical analysis

The data was subjected to statistical analysis using variance techniques as described by Gomez and Gomez (1984) [9] . The significance of different treatments was tested by 'F' test at probability level of 0.05 and critical difference (CD) was calculated at 5%. Correlation coefficient analysis of vegetative, yield and quality characters of turmeric was done by following Karl Pearson correlation method using R software (version: 4.4.1).

Results and Discussions

Projected yield and total curcumin yield Foliar application of vitamins significantly influenced the rhizome and total curcumin yield of turmeric during both seasons (Table . 1). It might be due to the increased nutrient uptake and efficiency as well as beneficial effect of vitamins on physiological functions within the turmeric plants. The steady increase in the projected yield was observed with the increasing concentration up to highest level in all vitamins and it was maximum with the ascorbic acid. The highest yield was associated with ascorbic acid 100 ppm (37.39 t ha - 1 ), which was followed by folate 100 ppm (35.39 t ha -1 ) and thiamine 100 ppm (35.35 t ha -1 ) as compared to the lowest yield in control (25.93 t ha -1 ). The highest total curcumin production was observed in ascorbic acid 100 ppm (568.95 kg ha -1 ), followed by folate 100 ppm (530.95 kg ha -1 ) as compared lowest in control (277.08 kg ha -1 ). In tuber crops, which are often sensitive to oxidative stress during bulking stages, ascorbic acid application may help maintain membrane integrity, enhance carbon assimilation and promote tuber enlargement through improved photosynthetic and metabolic stability. Moreover, it supports cell division and wall synthesis, which are crucial during the expansion of underground storage organs. This integrated improvement in photosynthetic capacity, rootshoot balance and metabolic efficiency translates into enhanced tuber yield. Similar results were reported by Gahory et al. (2022) [8] in coriander, Hussain and Mustaf, (2019) [14] in squash and El-Hak et al. (2012) [6] in pea.

Correlation coefficients among vegetative, yield and quality characters of turmeric

There is highly positive correlation was associated among the growth, yield and quality characters. From this, we can observe that yield of the plant is more related with the healthy growth of the plant (Table . 2). The plant height showed highly significant and positive correlation with number of tillers (0.87), leaf number (0.81), leaf length (0.83) and leaf breadth (0.84), weight of clump (0.86), weight of primary fingers (0.76), weight of secondary fingers (0.63), plot yield and projected yield per hectare (0.89). It showed positive relation with quality characters like curcumin (0.65), oleoresin (0.58), total phenols and dry recovery (0.72), leaf chlorophyll content (0.88). Number of tillers showed significant and positive association with weight of clump (0.86), number of leaves (0.84) and leaf length (0.80), leaf breadth (0.86), primary (0.84) and secondary fingers weight (0.49), plot and projected yield (0.82). Characters showing highly positive and significant correlation with leaf length were weight of clump (0.85), leaf breadth (0.83), weight of primary finger (0.77) and secondary finger (0.64) also with plot and projected yield (0.85). Highly positive and significant correlation was observed between weight of clump and yield per plot and projected yield (0.95). It showed highly significant positive correlation with weight both primary and secondary finger, plant height, leaf number and quality attributes like dry recovery, total phenols, curcumin and oleoresin content. Rhizome yield per plot had highly positive and significant association with clump weight (0.95), weight of secondary finger (0.68) weight of primary finger (0.89), plant height (0.89), leaf breadth (0.88) and leaf number (0.85). This signifies that by improving these characters, rhizome yield can also be improved. Rhizome quality characters like dry recovery, curcumin, oleoresin and total phenols content as well as leaf chlorophyll content also showed highly positive relationship with growth and yield characters. Hazra et al. (2000) [12] identified significant and positive correlation between the number of leaves per clump and turmeric yield. Therefore, it is possible to draw the conclusion that plant vigour and yield components influence rhizome yield. Jana et al. (2001) [17] discovered a substantial correlation between the weight of primary and secondary fingers per clump and the fresh rhizome production.

Influence of foliar application of vitamins on economics of turmeric cultivation

As per mean data (Table . 3), the maximum cost of production was Rs. 211,395/-noticed with folate 100 ppm, followed by thiamine 100 ppm (Rs. 210,459/-) as compared to untreated control recorded lowest cost of production (Rs. 206,355/-). In case of gross return, the highest value (Rs. 560,850/-) was observed in ascorbic acid 100 ppm followed by folate 100 ppm (Rs. 530,850/-) while the lowest gross return was observed in untreated control (Rs. 388,950/-). In respect of net return, the maximum value of Rs. 353,351/registered in ascorbic acid 100 ppm, followed by thiamine 100 ppm (Rs. 319,791/-). The lowest value was obtained in untreated control (Rs. 182,595/-) due to less yield. Highest B: C ratio was noticed in ascorbic acid 100 ppm (1.70) followed by thiamine 100 ppm (1.52) and whereas lowest B: C ratio (0.88) was observed in untreated control. Vitamins such as ascorbic acid, thiamine, folic acid and niacin play crucial roles as cofactors, antioxidants and metabolic regulators, influencing a wide range of physiological functions that directly or indirectly enhance plant growth, stress tolerance and productivity (Youssif et al., 2017) [28] . Helal et al. (2005) [13] reported that foliar application of vitamin C increased the plant height, number of leaves per plant, pods per plant, seed yield, total leaf chlorophyll and crude protein content in seeds of pea. Leonel et al. (2024) [22] reported that administration of niacin alone boosted growth parameters and productivity by 82% leading to a 50% increase in gross revenue in carrot. The significant improvement in different parameters like number of capsules per plant weight of 1000 seed and seed yield were observed in Nigella sativa with thiamine 200 ppm (Al-Rikabi and Lahmoud, 2022) [2] . The favourable effect of folic acid in faba bean (Vicia faba) was reported by Al-Maliky et al. (2019) [1] and Ibrahim et al. (2015) [16] in potato plants. Aminifard et al. (2018) [3] found that thiamine application at the rate of 250, 500 and 700 ppm increased the growth and yield-related attributes in fenugreek and coriander. Ascorbic acid: 1146.00 100g -1 SSP: 10.00 kg -1 Man days: 363.00 day -1 (2023) Thiamine: 456.00 10g -1 MOP: 34.00 kg -1 Man days: 400.00 day -1 (2024) Folate: 560.00 10g -1 Seed rhizome: 30.00 kg -1 Niacin: 164.00 25g -1 Selling price of turmeric (Rs.): Rs.15.00 kg -1

Conclusion

Turmeric is an economically important spice crop, which requires innovative techniques to enhance production and productivity. Vitamins such as ascorbic acid, thiamine, folate and niacin are safe, affordable and easy to apply through foliar spraying. Results of the current study offers a promising approach in increasing the turmeric yield, especially with high level of concentrations. Ascorbic acid at 100 ppm recorded highest yield, total curcumin and economic returns followed by folate and thiamine at 100 ppm concentration. So, we conclude that vitamins administration can be a strategic and sustainable method for increasing the yield and net returns of the turmeric growers.

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