Vishvamitera Sakshi, Baghla Sidharth, Parmar Varun, Thakur Romika, Singh Sanatsujat, Vashisath Sachin, Kumar Dinesh, Singh Satbeer, Chauhan Ramesh
Agrotechnology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, 176 061, India.
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201 002, India.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 May 8;25(1):602. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06353-9.
Inula racemosa, a critically endangered medicinal plant of the western Himalayas, is known for its various industrial uses worldwide. Fertilizer application contributes to higher crop yield; however, their excessive use may lead to higher cost of cultivation and environmental pollution. Similarly, appropriate plant orientation significantly contributes to utilizing natural resources efficiently, leading to higher yields. Therefore, the study aimed to optimize the fertilizer dose for I. racemosa with a suitable planting geometry. A field experiment was carried out in the cold desert region of the western Himalayas comprising three planting geometries 30 × 30 cm (G), 30 × 45 cm (G) and 45 × 45 cm (G) and four fertilizer doses (NPK) at the rates of 0 (F), 90:60:30 kg ha (F), 120:75:40 kg ha (F), and 150:90:50 kg ha (F) from 2021 and 2022. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with 12 treatment combinations and replicated thrice. Planting geometry significantly affected all the parameters studied except the number of secondary roots and essential oil (EO) content. Planting geometry G recorded significantly higher values of all the morphological and yield traits; however, the lowest were observed in G, except for plant height. Among fertilizer doses, F produced better results for all the growth and root yield components, whereas the control presented the lowest values. The highest fertilizer dose F resulted in dry root yield that were 6.34, 26.15 and 102.99% greater than those of F, F, and the control, respectively. The plants fertilized with NPK @ 150:90:50 kg ha produced significantly highest EO yield, which was 125.40% greater than that of the control. The major EO constituents alantolactone, isoalantolactone, and β-elemene ranged from 59.44-63.65, 31.38-34.68 and 0.24-0.33%, respectively; however, their accumulation patterns were not consistent. Thus, a planting geometry of 30 × 45 cm in combination with NPK @ 150:90:50 kg ha could improve the growth, dry root yield and EO yield of I. racemosa, which may encourage farmers in cold arid regions for cultivation and consequently aid in achieving its conservation, in addition to meeting ever-increasing industrial demand.
总状土木香是西喜马拉雅地区一种极度濒危的药用植物，在全球范围内因其多种工业用途而闻名。施肥有助于提高作物产量；然而，过度使用化肥可能会导致种植成本增加和环境污染。同样，合适的植株种植方向对于有效利用自然资源、提高产量也有显著作用。因此，本研究旨在通过合适的种植几何形状来优化总状土木香的施肥量。在西喜马拉雅地区的寒冷沙漠地区进行了田间试验，试验包括三种种植几何形状，分别为30×30厘米（G）、30×45厘米（G）和45×45厘米（G），以及从2021年到2022年的四种施肥量（氮磷钾），施肥量分别为0（F）、90:60:30千克/公顷（F）、120:75:40千克/公顷（F）和150:90:50千克/公顷（F）。试验采用裂区设计，共有12种处理组合，重复三次。种植几何形状对除次生根数量和精油（EO）含量外的所有研究参数均有显著影响。种植几何形状G的所有形态和产量性状值均显著较高；然而，除株高外，G的这些值最低。在施肥量方面，F对所有生长和根产量组成部分都产生了较好的结果，而对照的结果最低。最高施肥量F的干根产量分别比F、F和对照高出6.34%、26.15%和102.99%。施用150:90:50千克/公顷氮磷钾的植株产生的精油产量显著最高，比对照高出125.40%。主要的精油成分土木香内酯、异土木香内酯和β-榄香烯分别在59.44 - 63.65%、31.38 - 34.68%和0.24 - 0.33%之间；然而，它们的积累模式并不一致。因此，30×45厘米的种植几何形状与150:90:50千克/公顷的氮磷钾组合可以提高总状土木香的生长、干根产量和精油产量，这可能会鼓励寒冷干旱地区的农民进行种植，从而有助于实现其保护，同时满足不断增长的工业需求。
