Abstract:
Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal. (Solanaceae) possesses many therapeutic values and
hence it is widely used in Ayurveda and traditional systems of medicine for triggering of
both physical and mental health. Even though this plant plays a vital role in human health,
information on effect of different fertilizer levels on growth parameters are scattered or
lacking. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to compare the growth parameters
of W. somnifera cultivated in three different fertilizer levels at just before flowering, just after
flowering and fully maturity stages. Data on growth parameters including plant height, plant
spreading, girth of the stem, number of leaves, number of branches, number of flowers
and number of pods per plant were recorded in just before flowering, just after flowering
and fully maturity stages. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model (GLM)
procedure of SAS statistical package followed by Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) for
mean separation. The results clearly demonstrated that growth data (plant height, plant
spreading, number of branches, number of leaves, number of flowers, plant girth, leaf area,
root diameter and root length) of all 3 growth stages were significantly (P<0.05) different
in plants treated with organic or inorganic fertilizer compared to the control. Further,
significantly higher growth parameters were observed in all three growth stages, in plants
treated with organic fertilizer compared to the plants treated with inorganic fertilizer or
control treatments. In addition to the growth parameters, higher yield parameters (fresh
weight, dry weight and fresh to dry weight ratio) were also exhibited in plants treated with
organic fertilizer. Remarkably, higher growth and yield parameters reported from plants
treated with organic fertilizer over the inorganic fertilizer and control may be because
