Influence of One-Time Application of Vermicompost and NPK Fertilizers on the Growths and Mineral Nutrients of Indian Spinach (Basella alba L.)

The amendments' direct impacts on plant growth and mineral nutrition at the first plant cycle and their residual impacts at subsequent plant cycles are essential when managing fertilizers applied to soil. Hence, this work has compared the impacts of the cow manure-derived vermicompost (CMV) with nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (NPK fertilizers) on growth and nutrient uptake in Indian spinach (Basella alba L.) at three consecutive plant cycles. The plant was cultivated in the same pot consecutively three times for 113 days in soil amended with various levels of CMV (5, 10, and 20 t ha(-1)) and NPK fertilizers (50, 100, and 200%) with a control treatment without CMV or NPK fertilizers. Results showed that CMV at 20 t ha(1) (CMV-20) had marked impacts on plant growth plus shoots N, P, and K contents up to the third plant cycle. Conversely, NPK fertilizers at 100% (NPK-100) (recommended dose) were only effective during the plant's first cycle. The effect of CMV at 5 t ha(-1) (CMV-5) was similar to NPK-100 but higher than NPK fertilizers at 50% (NPK-50). Compared to NPK-100, CMV-20 provided 2.10-3.00-, 3.62-14.49-, 5.09-14.24-, and 3.51-9.41-fold more shoots' dry weight, N accumulation in shoots, P accumulation in shoots, and K accumulation in shoots from the first to the third plant cycle, respectively. These findings suggest that CMV-20, among all treatments, is an excellent source of nutrients for plant growth and can use repetitively to grow Indian spinach up to the third plant cycle following its one-time application in soil.