Influence of organic manures and bio fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of holy basil

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Published

2025-12-31

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58993/ijh/2025.82.4.12

Keywords:

Azotobacter, essential oil, farm yard manure, holy basil, vermicompost
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Issue

Vol. 82 No. 04 (2025): Indian Journal of Horticulture

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Nilanjan Nilanjan Biswas, Trinayanee Sharma, Soumik Samanta, Narendra Nath Hansda, Narayan Chattopadhyay

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Nilanjan Nilanjan Biswas Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal 741252, India
  • Trinayanee Sharma Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal 741252, India
  • Soumik Samanta Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal 741252, India
  • Narendra Nath Hansda Department of Vegetable Science, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, 741252, India
  • Narayan Chattopadhyay Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal 741252, India

Abstract

Organic nutrient inputs combined with beneficial microbes offer sustainable alternatives to chemical fertilizers in Tulsi (Ocimum spp.) cultivation, yet field evidence from the eastern Indian alluvial zone remains limited. A two-season trial (early summer 2022–2024) was conducted at the Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, BCKV, Nadia, West Bengal, on loamy sand soil (pH 6.8) with moderate NPK levels. Seven combinations of vermicompost, farmyard manure (FYM), and mustard cake (MC) with Azotobacter and phosphate-solubilising bacteria (PSB) were evaluated in a randomized block design with three replications. At 180 and 360 days after planting, treatments significantly outperformed the control in growth, herbage yield, essential oil content, and phytochemicals. T3 (MC 1.5 t ha-¹ + Azotobacter) recorded the highest plant height (86.47 cm), while T4 (vermicompost 5 t ha-¹ + PSB) yielded the maximum fresh herbage (23.59 t ha-¹) and eugenol content (8.04%). T2 (FYM 15 t ha-¹ + Azotobacter) produced the highest essential oil yield (75.58 kg ha-¹). T6 (MC + PSB) enhanced methyl eugenol (7.21%) and β-elemene (0.74%). Strong correlations (r = 0.98–1.00) between early-season traits and final output highlight predictive value. Results suggest integrating moderate-to-high organic inputs with biofertilizers can enhance Tulsi biomass and tailor essential oil quality.

How to Cite

Nilanjan Biswas, N., Sharma, T., Samanta, S., Hansda, N. N., & Chattopadhyay, N. (2025). Influence of organic manures and bio fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of holy basil. Indian Journal of Horticulture, 82(04), 459–464. https://doi.org/10.58993/ijh/2025.82.4.12

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