Influence of organic growing medium supplemented with jeevamrit on physiological and biochemical responses of ornamental kale under subtropical conditions

Organic farming is an influential practice for minimizing the environmental and ecological impact of sustainable development. The use of organic materials in agricultural practices can reduce the adverse effects on the environment by preserving its natural cycles during the recovery process. The study evaluated the effects of different organic growing media and liquid organic fertilizer i.e. Jeevamrit on foliage expansion, aesthetic appeal and nutritional properties of ornamental kale genotype ‘Kt OK-2’. The growing media tested included a combination of leaf mould collected from ban oak soil and cocopeat in a (1:1, v/v), cocopeat alone and leaf mould alone. Jeevamrit was soil drenched at weekly, fortnightly and monthly intervals and was compared with a control using the recommended dose of fertilizers. Results indicated that the growing medium of leaf mould and cocopeat (1:1, v/v) demonstrated superior qualitative and quantitative effects on plant growth compared to the other media, owing to its high nutritional content. Jeevamrit @ 20% at weekly intervals further enhanced plant performance. This combination of growing medium and jeevamrit led to the highest measurements of plant height (22.06 cm), spread (35.75 cm), number of leaves (46.43), rosette diameter (23.55 cm), percentage of green and coloured leaves per plant (36.84% and 67.73%) and pot display life (68.55 days). Furthermore, total chlorophyll content (32.88 mg/100 g), anthocyanin content (0.64 mg/100 g) and total carotenoid content (2.13 mg/100 g) of the plant was recorded highest for the same treatment combination. Additionally, the study assessed physico-chemical properties of the soil. The results underscore the effectiveness of using a balanced growing medium with regular organic manure applications to optimize plant health and aesthetic quality in ornamental kale.