Abstract

Gloriosa superba L. is an important medicinal plant species found in tropical and subtropical regions of India. Seeds and tubers contain colchicine which is used for treating gout, rheumatism and for producing polyploides. Due to diverse use, the species has been largely exploited from natural habitat leading to its threatened status. A field experiment was conducted to study the influence of organic and inorganic fertilizers on its growth and seed yield. Eight treatments including Control (T₁), NPK at 120:50:75 kg/ha (recommended dose) (T₂), FYM at 20 t/ha (T₃), Vermicompost(VC) at 6 t/ha (T₄), FYM at 10 t/ha + ½ T₂ (T₅), VC at 3 t/ha + ½ T₂ (T₆), FYM at 13.3 t/ha + â…“T₂ (T₇), VC at 4 t/ha + â…“T₂ (T₈) were followed to find their effect on growth and yield. The treatments were significantly different from each other and higher values were recorded for plant height (144.96 cm), number of leaves plant^-1 (172.03), number of branches plant^-1 (4.35), number of flowers plant^-1 (30.50), number of fruits plant^-1 (10.10), seed yield plant^-1 (4.47 g) and estimated seed yield hectare^-1 (197.50 kg) in the treatment VC at 4 t/ha + â…“T₂. Available major nutrients (NPK) in soil also recorded higher after harvesting the crop in the treatment VC at 4 t/ha + â…“T₂.

Key words: Glory lily, inorganic fertilizers, organic manures, Gloriosa, seed yield.