Integrated nutrient management for productivity enhancement in arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea L.)

West Indian arrowroot is a tuber crop valued for its starch, which has medicinal uses and is utilized in various industries. Despite its importance, no specific nutrient management guidelines exist for its cultivation. Hence, a field experiment was conducted from 2023 to 2024 at the College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala, to evaluate the effects of integrated nutrient management on the growth, yield, and quality of West Indian Arrowroot The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design, involved 12 treatment combinations of three FYM levels (10, 15, and 20 t ha⁻¹) and four NPK levels (25:25:50, 50:25:50, and 50:25:75 N, P₂O₅ and K₂O kg ha⁻¹ as well as no NPK) replicated thrice. The result indicated that integrated application of FYM @ 20 t/ha and NPK fertilizer at 50:25:75 N: P2O5: K2O kg ha-1 enhanced growth and tuber yield of arrowroot. The crude fibre content of the tubers was not influenced by nutrient management; however, the starch content increased with the higher rates of manure and NPK fertilizer application.