Application of phosphorus through doliar sprays improves the productivity and quality of tukhm-e-balanga [lallemantia royleana benth]

An experiment on the cultivation of Black Psyllium, also known as Tukhm-e-balanga [Lallemantia royleana Benth.] was performed according to a simple randomised block design to determine whether supplemental phosphorus application at 60 days after sowing [d] as foliar spray of 1, 2 and 4 kg p/ha [F [p1], F[p2] and F[p4] or top-dressing of 10 and 20kg p/ha T[p10] and T[p20] could improve the growth, yield and quality of the crop. A uniform basal dose [20 kg/ha, each of nitrogen and potassium was applied at sowing. Phosphorus was applied basally at 40kg p/ha recommended dose] in control 1 [B[p40] + F[w0] and at 20 kg p/ha in the remaining treatments, including control 2 [B[p20]+ F[w], both controls being sprayed with de-jonised water at 60 d. The parameters studied were: root length, fresh weight of root, dry weight of root, shoot length, fresh weight of shoot, dry weight of shoot, number of branches/plant, number of buds/branch at full bloom stage and seed yield, biological yield and swelling factor at harvest. Most vegetative parameters were generally enhanced by B[p20] + F[P2], B[p20] + F[P4] and B[p20]. + T[P10] Yield characters and swelling factor were maximum in treatment B[p20]+ F[P2]and B[p20]+ F[P4].It may, therefore, be concluded that foliar spray of only 2 kg P/ha on plants grown with half the recommended P dose at sowing proved optimum and resulting simultaneously in the economy of phosphatic fertilizer

Predicting solasodine content in solanum nigrum L. a statistical model

Steroidal alkaloids are usually classified with other alkaloids as the former are similar in structure but they resemble biosynthetically with terpenoids. The nitrogen is incorporated therein from ammonia or ammonium compounds. The application of nitrogen, therefore, could enhance the uptake of nitrogen and in turn the yield of Solasodine in the fruits of Solanum nigrum L. The correlation studies between the leaf-nitrogen content and the Solasodine content of the fruits of S. nigrum were made in three pot experiments. The nitrogen was estimated in leaves and Solasodine in fruits at different stages of growth using spectrophotometric methods. A statistical model for the prediction of the alkaloid the at the early stages of growth [85 days after sowing] by estimating the nitrogen content in the leaves is hereby proposed. If leaf-N at early stage of growth predicts the low value of fruit-Solasodine, the corrective measures, like top-dressing or foliar spray could be employed immediately, for higher yield