Effect of organic, inorganic fertilizers and bio-fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of moringa (Moringa oleifera)

Introduction

Among the thirteen species of Moringaceae, Moringa oleifera alone has the multitude uses. Moringa possess many valuable properties, which make it of great scientific interest. Few of them are: high protein content in leaves, high protein and oil content in seeds, the large number of unique polypeptides in seeds that can bind many moieties, the presence of growth factor in the leaves etc. (Foidl et al., 2001) [12] . It is used for animal forage, biogas production, dye extraction, gum collection, rope making, and pulp for papermaking, tannin extraction and soap making. The powdered seed is commercially used for water clarification (Folkard et al., 2001) [16] ; Moringa is in cultivation for fleshy pods in India, for seeds to extract oil and prepare flocculent with dried powder in Tanzania and for edible leaf harvest in Nigeria. Both the social appeal owing to its nutritive richness and medicative properties and commercial appeal in view of the use of seed powder in water purification and oil of ben in lubrication industries, have gained a status for moringa. Consequent to the release of PKM-1 annual moringa a bushy type amenable for seed propagation, the commercial cultivation has gained momentum in India. About 8,000 ha in Tamil Nadu, 6,000 ha in Andhra Pradesh and 2,000 ha in Maharashtra are under PKM-1 moringa. After first ratoon, the crop is removed and resown again for new crop. Among the limiting factors of productivity, the nutrients application and their response in the growth and development of moringa largely decide the productivity and is a vital factor in as much as the soil, crop response which is always dynamic and vary extremely. The moringa growing areas are cropped nearly eight months in a year and varying quantities of fertilizers have been applied over the years. This practice has resulted in the soil health deterioration and makes the soil, crop response and uptake of nutrients more complex that leads to deficiency of one or two elements. The restoration of soil health and enhancing the quality of the produce are considered as prime factors in recent times. A judicious combination of organics, inorganics and biofertilizers can sustain the commercial production of moringa rather than the exclusive organic or inorganic production system. Among the organic inputs, poultry manure is a cheap source and it contains more N, small amounts of urea and ammonium. VAM fungi have also been found to increase symbiotic nitrogen fixation and enhance the N uptake from soil. NPK stands for Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), the three major essential nutrients required by plants for healthy growth and development. Farmyard Manure improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Poultry manure releasing nutrients that can become available for plant uptake. Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhiza colonizes the root system and develops fungal structures that help the plant explore a greater volume of soil. It improves the uptake and availability of plant nutrients, particularly phosphorus, and can also support better root development and plant growth. Azospirillum improve plant growth through biological nitrogen fixation and the production of plant growth-promoting substances. The continuous use of inorganic fertilizers can increase crop productivity, but excessive or imbalanced application may contribute to soil degradation, nutrient losses, environmental pollution, and increased production costs. Organic manures, on the other hand, improve soil structure, organic matter, moisture retention, and microbial activity while supplying nutrients gradually. Bio-fertilizers can further enhance nutrient availability through beneficial microorganisms involved in nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and other biological processes. Therefore, integrating organic, inorganic, and biofertilizer sources may provide a more sustainable approach to nutrient management than relying on any single source to increase production, productivity and quality. Although several studies have examined fertilizer effects on moringa, information is still needed on the comparative and combined effects of different. Nutrient sources on growth, yield, and quality under Prayagraj agro-climatic and soil conditions. Therefore keeping in view the above fact the present investigation is going to be carried on "Effect of organic, inorganic and biofertilizers on growth, yield and quality on moringa (moringa oleifera)" with the following objectives: To study the effect of different combination and treatment of organic manure, inorganic fertilizer and bio fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of moringa and to assess the economics of different treatments.

Materials and Methods

The experiment entitled "Effect of organic, inorganic and biofertilizers on growth, yield and quality of moringa

Results and Discussion

Effect of organic, inorganic and bio-fertilizers on growth parameters Results in Table 1 showed significant differences and, Maximum plant height at harvesting stage was found in treatment T7 (4.267 m), and minimum was found in T0 (2.517 m), maximum stem diameter was found in treatment T7 (55.333 cm), and minimum was found in T0 (41.000 cm), maximum number of new branches treatments T7 (6.833), minimum was found in T0 (2.500). Enhanced vegetative growth with plants receiving 80% RDN through chemical fertilizer, 20% through FYM, VAM and Azospirillum might be due to N which has a strong direct effect in promoting protein synthesis, chlorophyll formation and cell division thereby, promoting vegetative growth. P promotes root development and energy metabolism and meristematic activity, while K improves photosynthesis, water regulation and carbohydrate translocation. Application of FYM could have further increased vegetative through gradual nutrient release and improvement of soil structure, moisture retention and microbial activity. VAM colonization might have increased the effective absorbing area of root system and particularly improves phosphorus, micronutrient and water uptake while Azospirillum might have promoted root development and nutrient acquisition as well as produces plantgrowth-promoting substances, particularly auxin-like compounds, root proliferation and nutrient uptake, indirectly increasing shoot biomass and stem development thereby, providing greater resources for shoot development and branching. Thus, integrated application of inorganic. Fertilizers with organic manures and bio-fertilizers might have resulted in increased plant height, improved stem diameter and promoted production of more number of new branches.

Effect of organic, inorganic and bio-fertilizers on earliness

Minimum days to first flowering was found in treatment T7 (73.000), maximum was found in T0 (93.333), minimum days to fifty percent flowering was found in treatment T7 (90.000), and maximum was found in T0 (110.333). presented in table 1. Earliness in plants receiving 80% RDN through chemical fertilizer, 20% through FYM, VAM and Azospirillum might be due chemical fertilizers which provided P and K which are especially important during transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. However, excessive nitrogen may prolong vegetative growth and delay flowering. Adequate P supports energy metabolism and reproductive development. VAMmediated phosphorus uptake can be particularly beneficial during reproductive development. FYM and microbial inoculants might have accelerated flowering indirectly by improving nutrient availability and root activity. Thus, first flowering was obtained under balanced nutrition which generally reduces number of days required to reach first flowering and fifty percent flowering.

Effect of organic, inorganic and bio-fertilizers on yield parameters

Maximum number of flower per panicle was found in treatment T7 (97.660), and minimum was found in T0 (63.780), maximum number of panicle per tree was found in treatment T7 (34.643), and minimum was found in T0 (22.377), maximum pod weight was found in treatment T7 (73.880), and minimum was found in T0 (29.883), maximum number of seed per pod was found in treatment T7 (19.000), and minimum was found in T0 (8.000), and maximum pod yield per hectare was found in treatment T7 (63.237), and minimum was found in T0 (19.253). Presented in table 1. Yield of plants receiving 80% RDN through chemical fertilizer, 20% through FYM, VAM and Azospirillum might be due to P which supports reproductive development and Energy transfer, while K might have improved enzyme activation, photosynthesis, carbohydrate transport and assimilation, promotes successful fertilization, embryo development and seed filling. Adequate N might have provided proteins, enzymes needed for reproductive growth and developing seed tissues. FYM can supplement inorganic fertilizers by improving soil structure, moisture retention, microbial activity and nutrient availability. VAM improves phosphorus acquisition and may enhance the availability of other nutrients, whereas Azospirillum promotes root growth and nutrient-use efficiency. This combined effect might have increased flower production, number of panicles per tree, heavier pods because of better assimilate supply during pod development, better seed setting and higher number of seeds per pod. Pod yield is the cumulative result of plant growth, flowering, pod setting, pod size and seed development.

Effect of organic, inorganic and bio-fertilizers on quality parameters

Maximum ascorbic acid was found in treatment T7 (8.723), minimum was found in T0 (3.723), maximum TSS was found in treatment T7 (8.030), minimum was found in T0 (4.030). Presented in table 1. Improved quality of plants receiving 80% RDN through chemical fertilizer, 20% through FYM, VAM and Azospirillum might be due to better photosynthesis resulting from adequate N, together with improved P nutrition which improves carbohydrate production. K is particularly important because it activates enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and facilitates translocation of photosynthates. FYM might have indirectly improved plant quality by improving overall plant nutrition and physiological activity. VAMmediated improvement in nutrient and water uptake and growthpromoting effects of Azospirillum might have enhanced photosynthetic performance and metabolic activity thereby, contributing to improved ascorbic-acid accumulation. Consequently, higher ascorbic acid content and total soluble sugar content under an integrated nutrient treatment may indicate improved photosynthetic efficiency and carbohydrate accumulation resulting in higher soluble-sugar accumulation.

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