A study on nutrient optimization for enhanced geranium oil yield in the lower altitude zones of Uttarakhand, India

Prawal Pratap Singh  Verma; Dipender  Kumar; Sushmita  Rawat; B.  Agri; Amit  Kumar; R.C Padalia

doi:10.37855/jah.2023.v25i03.54

Prawal Pratap Singh Verma CSIR- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Centre Purara, PO Gagrigole, Bageshwar (Uttarakhand) India.
Dipender Kumar CSIR- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Centre, Pantnagar, Post Nagla, Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand) India.
Sushmita Rawat CSIR- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Centre Purara, PO Gagrigole, Bageshwar (Uttarakhand) India.
B. Agri CSIR- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Centre Purara, PO Gagrigole, Bageshwar (Uttarakhand) India.
Amit Kumar CSIR- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Centre, Pantnagar, Post Nagla, Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand) India.
R.C Padalia CSIR- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Centre, Pantnagar, Post Nagla, Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand) India.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2023.v25i03.54

Keywords: Geranium, Pelargonium graveolens L., aromatic, nutrient

Abstract

This study, carried out at CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Research Centre Purara, Bageshwar (Uttarakhand), investigated the growth and productivity of geranium crops under different NPK doses in the lower hills of Uttarakhand. Nine different NPK treatments, varying from 60:40:20 to 220:200:180 kg ha-1, were applied using a Randomised Block Design. Examined factors related to plant growth and yield, included plant height, diameter, stem count, leaf count, fresh shoot biomass per gramme of plant, and fresh herb yield per hectare. The 180:160:140 NPK level produced the highest fresh herb yield of 327.29 q ha-1, which corresponded to the highest oil yield of 163.65 kg ha-1. This study provides valuable insights into optimising NPK formulations to improve geranium crop yields, which is essential for increasing agricultural productivity in the Himalayan hills of Uttarakhand.