EFFECT OF JEEVAMRUTHAM ON THE CULTIVATION OF LEAFY VEGETABLE BASELLA ALBA L.

The increasing demand for chemical-free vegetables has encouraged the use of traditional organic inputs such as Jeevamruthama fermented bio-liquid prepared from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour and soil. The present pot culture study evaluated the influence of Jeevamrutham on soil nutrient status, irrigation water quality, growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments and biochemical constituents of the leafy vegetable Basella alba L. The experiment was conducted under controlled pot conditions with untreated control and Jeevamrutham-treated plants. Soil macronutrients and micronutrients were analyzed before and after treatment while plant growth, chlorophyll content, total carbohydrates and proteins were assessed at 50 days after sowing. Application of Jeevamrutham resulted in a moderate increase in available soil nitrogen and phosphorus while potassium, organic carbon and several micronutrients showed a decline. Irrigation water quality parameters remained within permissible agricultural limits. Treated plants exhibited significantly higher plant height, leaf length, vein length, chlorophyll content, carbohydrate and protein levels compared to control plants. These responses indicate an improvement in physiological and biochemical attributes of Basella alba under Jeevamrutham application. However the observed changes were obtained under pot culture conditions with limited replication and a short experimental duration. Therefore while the results suggest that Jeevamrutham can influence growth and metabolic characteristics of B. alba, further field-based studies with larger sample sizes and microbial analysis are required to substantiate its agronomic potential under practical farming conditions.