Organic amendments and urea nitrogen effects the growth and nutrient content of fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum) and goat pea (Securigera securidaca)

Abstract

In Iran, the recent spike in herbal medicines has led to a corresponding price increase. Therefore, these montane species are now widely field cultivated. Medicinal plant consumers strongly prefer organically grown plants, and farmers are responding to this market. However, the effects of organic amendments on medicinal plant nutrient content and yield have been poorly studied. Therefore, this study measured the effects of different organic treatments on the growth of fenugreek and goat pea. Plants were grown to compare the effects of composted municipal waste (CMW), vermicompost (VC), and urea nitrogen (N) to untreated field soil (C0). Germination percentage was significantly higher in urea N (76.5%), CMW (75.5%), and VC (51.6%) compared to C0 (36.3%). Fenugreek performed better in organic amendment treatments than goat pea. Urea N also increased fenugreek plant dry matter significantly compared to C0, but this increment was not as high as CMW or VC. Plants grown in VC had higher whole plant N content (3.2%) than those grown in CMW (2.8%) and plants grown in urea N (2.6%). Plants treated with CMW (8613 mg kg⁻¹) and VC (8503 mg kg⁻¹) had a significantly higher P content than those treated with N (7430 mg kg⁻¹) or C0 control grown (7236 mg kg⁻¹). Application of VC significantly increased plant K content (2483 mg kg⁻¹) compared to CMW (1850 mg kg⁻¹), N (1750 mg kg⁻¹), and C0 control (1716 mg kg⁻¹). Even without fertilization, both plant species contained a considerable amount of micronutrient elements.

Keywords:

• compost
• medicinal plants
• sustainable agriculture
• vermicompost

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University for their support of this research.