Effect of chemical fertilizers and biofertilizer on yield parameters of golden rod (Solidago canadensis) cv. Local

Introduction

Floriculture has emerged as an important sector of horticulture due to its high economic returns, export potential and increasing demand for ornamental flowers. Among ornamental crops, golden rod (Solidago canadensis L.) is an important filler flower belonging to the family Asteraceae. It is widely valued for its attractive golden yellow panicles, long vase life and extensive use in bouquets and floral arrangements (Kaur & Arora, 2011; Vipanchika et al., 2024) [7,18] . Golden rod is a heavy feeder crop and requires balanced nutrition for optimum vegetative growth and flower production. Although chemical fertilizers provide essential nutrients for rapid plant growth, their continuous and indiscriminate use may adversely affect soil fertility and the environment (Parmar et al., 2017) [9] . Biofertilizers improve nutrient availability through biological nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization and potassium mobilization, thereby enhancing nutrient uptake, plant growth and soil biological activity (Mondal et al., 2003; Yadav et al., 2011) [8,19] .

Materials and Methods

The present investigation was carried out on 'Effect of chemical fertilizers and biofertilizer on yield parameters of golden rod (Solidago canadensis) cv. Local' at Flower and Ornamental Nursery, College of Horticulture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India during Kharif-Rabi season of the year 2025-26. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (Factorial) with three replications comprising 12 treatment combinations involving three levels of recommended dose of fertilizers (F₁: 100% RDF, 150:100:100 kg/ha NPK; F₂: 75% RDF, 112.5:75:75 kg/ha NPK; and F₃: 50% RDF, 75:50:50 kg/ha NPK) and four levels of Bio-NPK consortium (B₀: No biofertilizer, B₁: 1.00 L/ha, B₂: 2.00 L/ha and B₃: 3.00 L/ha). 20 t/ha Farmyard manure (FYM) was applied uniformly to all plots as a common basal dose during field preparation.

Nitrogen was supplied through Urea, phosphorus through Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and potassium through Muriate of potash (MOP). Full doses of phosphorus and potassium along with 50% nitrogen were applied as basal, while the remaining 50% nitrogen was applied 30 days after planting. Bio-NPK consortium was applied through soil drenching at the time of planting according to the respective treatments. Observations on yield parameters, namely days to panicle initiation, days to first panicle harvest, panicle length, number of panicles per plant, number of panicles per plot, number of panicles per hectare and vase life, were recorded from five randomly selected plants in each net plot at appropriate stages. The experimental data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) following the procedure described by Steel and Torrie (1980) [16] for Randomized Block Design (Factorial) and treatment means were compared using the critical difference (CD) test at the 5% level of significance.

Results and Discussions Effect of chemical fertilizers (F)

The significantly the minimum number of days required for panicle initiation (53.92 days) was recorded in 100% RDF (150:100:100 kg/ha NPK). This might be due to adequate supply of nutrients, which accelerated physiological activities and promoted early reproductive development. Similar findings were also reported by Halagi et al. (2023) [16] and Sonara et al. (2023) [15] in African marigold. The significantly the minimum number of days required for first panicle harvest (92.46 days) was observed in 100% RDF (150:100:100 kg/ha NPK). This might be due to enhanced nutrient availability, which accelerated growth and reproductive development, leading to early flowering and harvesting. Similar findings were also reported by Dobariya et al. (2023) [2] and Halagi et al. (2023) [16] in African marigold. The significantly the maximum panicle length (38.01 cm) was recorded in 100% RDF (150:100:100 kg/ha NPK). This might be due to improved root proliferation and enhanced absorption of nutrients, which facilitated better translocation of assimilates towards developing panicles and consequently resulted in elongation of panicles. Similar findings were also reported by Geeta et al. (2016) [5] , Gawade et al. (2019) [3] and Ashok et al. (2023) [1] in chrysanthemum. The significantly the highest number of panicles per plant (4.67) was found in 100% RDF (150:100:100 kg/ha NPK). This might be due to adequate and balanced supply of nutrients, which promoted vigorous vegetative growth and production of more flowering shoots, thereby increasing the number of panicles. Similar findings were also reported by Poudel et al. (2017) [9] , Rajput et al. (2020) [12] and Sonara et al. (2023) [15] in African marigold. The significantly the maximum number of panicles per plot (70.42) was observed in 100% RDF (150:100:100 kg/ha NPK). This might be due to enhanced vegetative growth and increased production of flowering shoots under balanced nutrient supply, which consequently resulted in higher panicle yield per plot. Similar findings were also reported by Gaidhani et al. (2020) [4] , Patade et al. (2020) [10] and Dobariya et al. (2023) [2] in annual chrysanthemum. The significantly the highest number of panicles per hectare (3.66 lakhs) was recorded in 100% RDF (150:100:100 kg/ha NPK). This might be attributed to increased number of panicles per plant and per plot owing to optimum nutrient supply. Similar findings were also reported by Singh et al. (2017) [13] and Sonara et al. (2023) [15] in African marigold.

Effect of biofertilizer

The significantly the minimum number of days required for panicle initiation (56.15 days) was recorded in 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium (B₃). This might be attributed to enhanced nutrient availability and production of growthpromoting substances by beneficial microorganisms, which hastened flower initiation. Similar findings were also reported by Solanki and Parmar (2026) [14] in golden rod. The significantly the minimum number of days required for first panicle harvest (88.84 days) was found in 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium (B₃). This might be due to increased metabolic activities and better utilization of nutrients, which accelerated flower development and hastened harvesting. Similar findings were also reported by Parmar et al. (2017) [9] , Suhashi et al. (2021) [17] and Vipanchika et al. (2024) [18] in golden rod. The significantly the maximum panicle length (39.02 cm) was recorded in 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium (B₃). This might be due to increased microbial activity and improved uptake of essential nutrients, which enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and facilitated greater accumulation and translocation of assimilates towards developing panicles, thereby resulting in elongation of panicles. Similar findings were also reported by Geeta et al. (2016) [5] , Suhashi et al. (2021) [17] and Ashok et al. (2023) [1] in chrysanthemum. The significantly the highest number of panicles per plant (5.43) was observed in 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium (B₃). This might be due to enhanced microbial activity and increased availability of nutrients, which favoured better flower initiation and development of more flowering shoots. Similar findings were also reported by Geeta et al. (2016) [5] , Gawade et al. (2019) [3] and Ashok et al. (2023) [1] in chrysanthemum. The significantly the maximum number of panicles per plot (71.97) was recorded in 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium (B₃). This might be due to improved microbial activity and efficient utilization of nutrients, which promoted flower initiation and development of more flowering shoots. Similar findings were also reported by Geeta et al. (2016) [5] , Parmar et al. (2017) [9] and Gawade et al. (2019) [3] in chrysanthemum. The significantly the highest number of panicles per hectare (3.99 lakhs) was found in 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium (B₃). This might be attributed to enhanced nutrient mobilization and increased production of flowering shoots, which ultimately resulted in higher panicle yield per unit area. Similar findings were also reported by Suhashi et al. (2021) [17] , Ashok et al. (2023) [1] and Solanki and Parmar (2026) [14] in golden rod.

Interaction effect (FxB)

The interaction effect between different levels of chemical fertilizers and Bio-NPK consortium was found to be significant for number of panicles per plant. The significantly highest number of panicles per plant (6.34) was recorded in the treatment combination of F₁B₃ (100% RDF + 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium). This might be due to the synergistic effect of balanced fertilization and beneficial microorganisms, which enhanced nutrient availability and utilization, resulting in better vegetative growth and production of more flowering shoots. Similar findings were also reported by Geeta et al. (2016) [5] , Gawade et al. (2019) [3] and Ashok et al. (2023) [1] in chrysanthemum. The interaction effect between different levels of chemical fertilizers and Bio-NPK consortium was found to be significant for number of panicles per plot. The significantly maximum number of panicles per plot (80.40) was recorded in the treatment combination of F₁B₃ (100% RDF + + 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium). This might be due to the combined effect of balanced nutrition and beneficial microorganisms, which improved nutrient availability and enhanced flower production, thereby increasing panicle yield. Similar findings were also reported by Ashok et al. (2023) [1] , Vipanchika et al. (2024) [18] and Solanki and Parmar (2026) [14] in golden rod. The interaction effect of different levels of recommended dose of fertilizers and biofertilizer was found significant on number of panicles per hectare. The treatment combination of F1B3 (100% RDF + 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium) was recorded significantly maximum number of panicles per hectare (4.46 lakhs).

Conclusion

Based on the results of the present investigation, it can be concluded that the application of 100% RDF (150:100:100 kg/ha NPK) along with 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium was found to be the most effective for improving the yield of golden rod cv. Local. Therefore, the combined application of 100% RDF along with 3.00 L/ha Bio-NPK consortium was recommended for obtaining higher yield of golden rod.

References

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