Influence of Azolla Derived Organic Fertilizers for Enhancing the Growth of Malabar Spinach (Basella alba L.)
Pratap Majumder
Laboratory of Environmental & Bioresource Technology, Department of Ecological Studies & International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India.
Ankush Chakraborty
Laboratory of Environmental & Bioresource Technology, Department of Ecological Studies & International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India.
Jatindra Nath Bhakta *
Laboratory of Environmental & Bioresource Technology, Department of Ecological Studies & International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Inorganic fertilisers are increasingly associated with adverse impacts on soil quality, ecological stability and long-term human health. The present study assessed the influence of Azolla-derived organic fertilisers on the growth performance of Basella alba L. to identify an eco-friendly organic fertiliser for improving overall soil health and crop yield. The study involved growing B. alba L. in grow bags and applying three types of Azolla-derived organic fertilisers, Azolla-based bioslurry (ABB), phosphate-mixed Azolla-based bioslurry (PMB) and dry Azolla powder (DAP) over a 70-day period at the Department of Ecological Studies, University of Kalyani. The growth of B. alba L. together with soil chemical and microbial (NFB, nitrogen fixing bacteria; PSB, phosphate solubilising bacteria; KSB, potassium solubilising bacteria) properties were analysed to assess the effects of the applied Azolla-derived fertilisers. The shoot length (12.92 – 53.73%), leaf number (26.25 – 50.50%), branches (60 – 80%), stem diameter (3.43 – 17.55%), root weight (134.53 – 254.79%) and total biomass (192.02 – 228.44%) of DAP-, ABB- and PMB-treated B. alba L showed greater growth than the control. The soil nutrients (available– N, 129.58 – 245.81%; P, 15.10 – 87.72%; K, 61.39 – 72.81%; and organic-C, 28.57– 85.71%) and microbial properties NFB (47.61 – 228.71%), PSB (23.01 – 84.99%) and KSB (53.29 – 63.32%) also increased in DAP-, ABB- and PMB-treated B. alba L. groups compared with the control. This study indicated the fertiliser potential of Azolla-based bioslurry in enhancing the growth and production of B. alba L alongside improvements in soil properties and beneficial microbial populations. Additionally, the DAP and PMB showed greater growth and yield responses in B. alba L. than ABB. In summary, the applied Azolla-derived organic fertilisers may be used as organic fertilisers to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity to support organic farming and sustainable food production.
Keywords: Inorganic fertilizer, Soil health, bioslurry, azolla, Basella alba L., organic farming, sustainable agriculture