Coleus vettiveroides, commonly known as Hrivera, is a perennial herb belonging
to family Lamiaceae, grown on sandy loams along river banks in plains. The pattern
of root system differs when grown on light and heavy-textured soils. If grown on
sandy soils, the tertiary roots are profuse with
thin and long; and with less prominent primary and secondary roots. But if it is grown
on loamy soils, the primary and secondary roots will become prominent than
tertiary roots. (Shivananda et al., 2007)
Among various cultural practices conducive for enhancing root
yield, nutrient management plays an important role in enhancing the yield per unit area.
In the recent years, chemical fertilizers played significant role in providing nutrients
for intensive cop production, but increased use of chemical fertilizer in an
imbalanced manner has created problems of multiple nutrient deficiencies, diminishing
soil fertility and unsustainable crop yields. Therefore, to minimize residue toxicity,
etc., there is a need to practice organic farming (Bezdicek et al., 1984). Therefore emphasis is now focused on growing the Coleus using organic manures, such as Farm
Yard Manure (FYM) and biofertilizers like Azotobacter, Azospirillum,
Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) and
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM fungi) are ideal
measures to produce roots of higher quality and safety. |
