Synergistic Effect of Organic Inputs on the Morphophysiological Traits of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted from 2023 in Chengam, Tiruvannamalai district. The objective was to evaluate the impact of various organic treatments on the growth and yield characteristics of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). The experiment was carried out is Randomized Block Design with ten treatments and replication thrice. Among the ten different treatments applied, the combination of FYM @ 25 t ha⁻1 + VC @ 2.5 t ha⁻1 + Seaweed extract @ 2% (T9) consistently outperformed other treatments. This treatment significantly enhanced growth characteristics viz., plant height (35.01, 60.33, 86.71 and 110.34 cm), number of leaves plant-1(291.34, 540.56, 850.41 and 1010.66), leaf area (482.33, 1673.20, 3581.23 and 4468.67 cm²) and leaf area index (0.65, 1.33, 2.32 and 3.23), number of primary branches plant-1 (21.45, 25.37, 32.17 and 39.46) and secondary branches plant-1 (64.72, 76.45, 96.56 and 109.34), plant spread (north -south) (25.32, 33.39, 40.26 and 50.38 cm), plant spread (East- west) (40.56, 55.89, 65.47 and 71.45 cm), at 30, 60, 90 and 120 DAT. The findings indicate that the integration of organic inputs of treatment, T9 (FYM @ 25 t ha⁻1 + VC @ 2.5 t ha⁻1 + Seaweed extract @ 2%) is highly effective in optimizing the growth of sweet basil.