L-Tryptophan Blended Novel Organic Potassium Fertilizer Developed from fruit and vegetable waste Enhanced Cotton Growth and Yield

Organic plant nutrition has been considered cost effective and environmentally benign, since it utilizes cheap and frequently available harmful organic waste material by converting into useful products. This study was conducted in cotton crop (cv. SAU-1) to test the efficacy of a novel potassium (K) enriched, L-tryptophan blended organic fertilizer, developed from fruit and vegetable waste. This field experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design, involving the single and integrated application of six varying doses of inorganic and novel organic K fertilizers, i.e. 00-00 (control), 30-00, 00-30, 30-30, 60-00, 00-60 kg K ha-1, with three repeats. The crop received recommended doses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) (160-80 kg ha-1, respectively). Overall, K fertilization showed a significant enhancement in stem diameter, number of sympodia, number of bolls, seed cotton yield (86.4, 61.5, 84, 78%, respectively), and the accumulation of N, P and K (74, 75 and 264%, respectively). The results revealed that L-tryptophan blended novel organic K fertilizer integrated with equal amounts of inorganic K fertilizer (30-30 kg ha-1) enhanced seed cotton yield and nutrient accumulation more than any other treatment. The correlation analysis suggested that K nutrition positively influenced nutrient accumulation, especially K, in cotton plants, which in turn, promoted its various growth traits and ultimately led to increased seed yield. We conclude that the integrated application of inorganic K fertilizer with K-enriched, L-tryptophan blended novel organic fertilizer in equal amounts (30 kg K ha-1 each) enhance cotton growth, seed cotton yield, and improves nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium accumulation and use. Further experiments are warranted to validate these results.