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Yield, Nutrient Uptake, and Quality ofStevia as Affected by Organic Sources ofNutrientRakesh Kumar a , Saurabh Sharma a & Ramdeen Prasad ba Natural Plant Products Division , Council of Scientific and IndustrialResearch-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology , Palampur ,Indiab Hill Area Tea Science Division , Council of Scientific and IndustrialResearch-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology , Palampur ,IndiaAccepted author version posted online: 09 Sep 2013.Publishedonline: 29 Oct 2013.

To cite this article: Rakesh Kumar , Saurabh Sharma & Ramdeen Prasad (2013) Yield, Nutrient Uptake,and Quality of Stevia as Affected by Organic Sources of Nutrient, Communications in Soil Science andPlant Analysis, 44:21, 3137-3149, DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2013.832285

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2013.832285

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Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 44:3137–3149, 2013Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLCISSN: 0010-3624 print / 1532-2416 onlineDOI: 10.1080/00103624.2013.832285

Yield, Nutrient Uptake, and Quality of Steviaas Affected by Organic Sources of Nutrient

RAKESH KUMAR,1 SAURABH SHARMA,1

AND RAMDEEN PRASAD2

1Natural Plant Products Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, India2Hill Area Tea Science Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, India

A field experiment was conducted during 2008 and 2009 at the Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, India,to study the effect of organic sources of nutrient on yield, nutrient uptake, fertility sta-tus of soil, and quality of stevia crop in the western Himalayan region. The experimentcomprised eight different combinations of organic manure [farmyard manure (FYM),vermicompost (VC), and apple pomace manure (AP)]. Total leaf dry biomass increasedby 149% over the control with application of VC 1.5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1. Applicationof organic manures enhanced organic carbon and available nutrient status of soil morethan the control. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content in stem were significantlyaffected by the application of organic manures over the control. Stevia plants suppliedwith FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 recorded more total glycoside than other treat-ments. Stevioside yield (kg ha−1) was greater with application of FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP2.5 t ha−1.

Keywords Nutrient uptake, organic manures, Stevia rebaudiana, steviol glycoside,yield

Introduction

Stevia rebaudiana Bert. is one of 154 members of the genus Stevia and one of only twothat produce sweet steviol glycosides (Brandle, Starratt, and Gijzen 1998). Stevia is poisedfor major growth in the Indian cash crop market as domestic and export demand is esti-mated to leap by 300% over the next 3 years. Currently Japan has been using stevia on alarge scale. The climatic conditions in most parts of India are quite favourable for steviacultivation. Because of its low glycemic index, it is safe for use by both diabetics andhypoglycemics (Singh and Rao 2005). Nutrient requirements of this crop are low (Goenadi1987) to moderate because this crop is adaptable to poor-quality soils in its natural habi-tat at Paraguay. When placed under commercial culture, for economic crops, manuring isnecessary (Donalisio et al. 1982; Goenadi 1985).

Received 17 February 2012; accepted 9 April 2013.Address correspondence to Rakesh Kumar, Natural Plant Products Division, CSIR-Institute

of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Post Box No. 6, Palampur 176 061, HP, India. E-mail:rakeshkumar@ihbt.res.in

3137

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3138 R. Kumar, S. Sharma, and R. Prasad

Chemical fertilizers are not only costly but also adversely affect the soil microbialpopulation (Vassilev and Vassileva 2003) and are prohibited for the production of medici-nal plants. Use of farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure, vermicompost, biofertilizers,neem cake, etc., has become imperative in medicinal plants to meet the nutritional demandof the crop. Organic manures provide a good substrate for the growth of microorgan-isms and maintain a favorable nutritional balance and soil physical properties. Das, Dang,and Shivananda (2007, 2009) have studied the effect of biofertilizer on yield of stevia.Gupta et al. (2011) reported that phosphorus (P)–solubilizing bacteria (PSB) treatment ofstevia increased the growth and stevioside (St) and rebaudioside-A (Rb) contents of plants.Kumar et al. (2012) have studied the effect of FYM and inorganic fertilizers in stevia underwestern Himalayas. Among the sources of organic manures, vermicompost has a specialplace because of the presence of readily available plant nutrients, growth-enhancing sub-stances, and number of beneficial microorganisms such nitrogen (N)–fixing, P-solubilizing,and cellulose-decomposing organisms (Sultan 1997). Apple pomace (20–30% of crop), aby-product of apple juice processing comprising peel, seed, and remaining solid plants(Maini and Sethi 2000), is a rich source of carbohydrates, dietary fiber minerals, and vita-min C. Thus it has potential to support the growth of micro-organisms. After processingapples into juice or juice concentrate, the leftover material is pomace, which is discarded,causing environmental pollution. In the apple juice industry, about 75% of the apple isutilized for juice and the remaining 25% is the by-product, apple pomace (AP). Applepomace is a rich source of carbohydrate, pectin, crude fiber, and minerals, and as suchis a good source of nutrients (Shalini and Gupta 2010), but AP cannot be used alone.It has to be mixed with other manures. No research has been reported on the influenceof organic manure on yield, quality, nutrient content, and uptake of stevia. Consideringall these aspects, this experiment was conducted to assess the effect of organic sourcesof nutrients on growth, yield, nutrient content, and quality of stevia in the northwesternHimalayas.

Materials and Methods

Experimental Site

A field experiment was conducted during 2008 and 2009 at the experimental farm of theCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Institute of Himalayan BioresourceTechnology, Palampur (1325 m above mean sea level, 32◦ 06´ 05´´ N, 76◦ 34´ 10´´ E),India. The soil of experimental field was clayey in texture (sand 21.6%, silt 40.6%, clay37.8%), acidic in reaction (pH 6.36), low in available N (219.5 kg ha−1), and high inavailable P (28.4 kg ha−1), available potassium (K) (335.0 kg ha−1), and organic carbon(0.81%).

Weather Data

The location (Palampur) represents the subtemperate mid-hill region of the westernHimalayas and is endowed with mild summers (18.0–31.3 ◦C) and severe winters (3.3–13.2◦C). The average rainfall received is about 2500 mm, of which about 77% is received dur-ing June to September. During the crop growth season, weekly maximum temperatureranged from 11.3 to 31.6 ◦C in 2008 and from 17.7 to 33.7 ◦C in 2009. The minimumtemperature ranged from 3.4 to 20.3 ◦C during 2008 and 4.6 to 21.0 ◦C during 2009.During the crop growth season, the mean relative humidity ranged between 40 and 89%

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Effects of Organic Sources of Nutrients on Stevia 3139

in 2008 and between 44 and 93% in 2009. Rainfall of 2117.9 mm was recorded during2008 and 1620.2 mm during 2009 in the crop season.

Experimental Details

Nursery of stevia crop was raised during February 2008 and 2009 in sand beds throughseed. Two-month-old seedlings were transplanted in the field on 22 April 2008 and 20 April2009. Stevia plants were transplanted at a spacing of 45 cm × 30 cm in a 4.05 × 3.30 m2

plot. Treatments comprised of control, farmyard manure (FYM) 15 t ha−1, FYM 10 tha−1 + apple pomace manure (AP) 2.5 t ha−1, FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1, vermicompost(VC) 5 t ha−1, VC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1, VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1, and AP 5 tha−1. Apple pomace manure was prepared from 1-year-old AP left for decomposition in apit. All the organic manures were incorporated 3 weeks before transplanting stevia in theplots. The N–P–K contents of FYM, VC, and AP were 0.62–0.31–0.57, 1.57–1.22–1.09,and 1.60–0.15–0.46%, respectively. The experiment was laid out in randomized blockdesign and replicated three times. Standard irrigation, weeding, and other managementpractices were followed when required throughout the growth period of the crop. The datawere subjected to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the software package softwareSYSTAT-12 (SYSTAT Software Inc., Chicago, Ill., USA). In the case of significant treat-ment effects, a comparison of means was performed by means of Duncan’s multiple-rangetest method at a significance level of 5% (P < 0.05).

Growth and Yield Analysis

Five plants plot−1 were selected randomly for recording plant height, number of branchesplant−1, number of leaves plant−1, and leaf length and width. Plant height was measuredfrom the ground level to tip of the top leaf. At harvest stevia plants were cut from thebottom, leaving 10 cm up to ground level. Stevia leaf yield was recorded from individualplot and converted to q ha−1. The leaf samples were dried in a hot-air oven (60 ◦C), anddata were taken when concordant values were obtained. Leaf/stem ratio was calculated onan oven-dry-weight basis by dividing leaf dry biomass with stem dry biomass.

Soil and Plant Analysis

Soil and plant samples were collected after harvest for chemical analysis and were ana-lyzed for NPK following standard procedures as described by Gupta (1997). The soilsamples were air dried under shade and passed through a 2-mm sieve. The pH was deter-mined by taking soil and water in the ratio of 1:2 and using pH meter (Gupta 1997). Theavailable N was estimated by distilling the soil with alkaline potassium permanganatesolution and determining the ammonia liberated (Subbiah and Asija 1956). Estimationof available P and available K was done by the Mehlich 3 method (Mehlich 1984). Theorganic-matter content was estimated using a HACH DR 2000 spectrophotometer (Hach,Loveland, Col.).

Sweet Glycosides Extraction

Sweet glycosides from dried leaves were extracted using acetonitrile and water 80:20 andthe contents of stevioside and rebaudioside A was calculated through high-performanceliquid chromatography (HPLC) using standards of stevioside and rebaudioside A. Portions

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3140 R. Kumar, S. Sharma, and R. Prasad

of 50 mg air-dried powdered leaves of S. rebaudiana were extracted three times with 10 mLmethanol for 6–8 h. All the extracts were concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure.Dried extract was redissolved in 5 mL of the HPLC mobile phase. Dried extract was fil-tered through a 0.45-µm filter and degas for 1 min (Vijay Kaul, personal communication).Total stevioside yield was calculated by multiplying total dry leaf yield and total glycosidepercentage, that is, stevioside and rebaudioside-A, in leaf.

Results and Discussion

Plant Growth and Yield

Organic manures did not significantly affected plant height, leaf number plant−1, and plantspread as compared to the control during the first harvest; however, at second harvest, appli-cation of FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 recorded significantly greater plant height andleaf number plant−1 as compared to the control, FYM 15 t ha−1, and VC 5 t ha−1 (Table 1).This might be attributed to increased availability of micronutrients in soil through greatermicrobial and enzymes activity in organic manures. The effect of organic manures wasobserved in the second harvest, which may be due to the fact that the release of nutrientsfrom organic materials and their absorption by plants and remineralization of immobilizedN required time, which might not be completely possible in just one season. The mainlylimiting factor during the early growth is the nutrient deficiency in the soil caused by theorganic manure that has not been fully decomposed. However, there is a contrasting situ-ation in the later growth stage. Liu, Ren, and Shi (2011) have also reported similar resultsin China. Organic manures alone may meet the lower nutrient demand, but combination oforganic manures has become imperative to sustain high nutrient supply for greater produc-tivity (Patra, Sinha, and Mahesh 2011). Application of FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1

recorded significantly greater leaf length during the first harvest as compared to controlbut remained at par with FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1, VC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1,FYM 15 t ha−1, and VC 5 t ha−1. Among sole application of organic manures, FYM 15 tha−1 proved superior in producing greater leaf number plant−1 during the first harvest. Liuet al. (2011) reported that organic manure improved the root activity and enhanced thephotosynthesis rate in the later growth stage; finally the biomass of stevia and the contentof glycosides were also increased.

Yield is the manifestation of yield-attributing characters. In stevia, leaves are the maineconomic part, so number of leaf plant−1, branches plant−1, and leaf weight plant−1 arethe main yield-attributing characters. Significant increase in yield of stevia due to organicmanures could be attributed to increased yield attributes. Application of FYM 15 t ha−1

recorded significantly greater leaf dry biomass at first harvest than other treatments butremained at par with VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5 ha−1 (Table 2). This may due to greaterproduction of leaf number and branches plant−1 in these treatments (Table 1). Total leafbiomass increased by 66, 86, 91, 94, 120, 135, and 149% over control with applicationof VC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1, VC 5 t ha−1, FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1, AP5 t ha−1, FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1, FYM 15 t ha−1, and VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP5 t ha−1. Application of VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 recorded significantly greaterstem dry biomass and total biomass during first harvest as compared to other treatments.Leaf/stem ratio was significantly greater when the crop was supplied with FYM and AP.The positive response to combined application of organic manures might be attributedto the better nutrient availability and its favorable effect on soil physical and biologicalproperties, resulting in increased leaf biomass. Singaravel, Parasath, and Elayaraja (2006),

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Tabl

e1

Eff

ects

ofor

gani

cso

urce

sof

nutr

ient

son

grow

than

dyi

eld

attr

ibut

esof

stev

ia(p

oole

dda

taof

2ye

ars)

Plan

thei

ght(

cm)

Lea

fnu

mbe

rpl

ant−1

Bra

nche

spl

ant−1

Lea

fle

ngth

(cm

)L

eaf

brea

dth

(cm

)

Tre

atm

ent

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Con

trol

41.4

339

.98d

147.

1063

.38e

3.43

e3.

357.

72c

5.17

3.81

1.89

FYM

15th

a−145

.93

48.4

0bcd

183.

5387

.93b

cd5.

40ab

c4.

208.

44ab

c6.

093.

672.

49V

C5

tha−1

40.4

647

.21b

c13

7.88

91.6

7bcd

4.80

cd4.

028.

41ab

c5.

784.

142.

16A

P5

tha−1

43.9

651

.60a

b14

1.36

99.4

3ab

4.21

de4.

777.

62c

6.19

3.74

2.37

FYM

10th

a−1+

AP

2.5

tha−1

48.3

658

.26a

166.

8011

3.80

a6.

30a

5.16

9.10

a6.

493.

802.

39

FYM

5th

a−1+

AP

5th

a−143

.10

50.2

0abc

173.

1093

.00a

bcd

5.00

cd3.

968.

80ab

5.81

3.81

2.15

VC

2.5

tha−1

+A

P2.

5th

a−143

.83

50.6

0abc

154.

7062

.83e

5.30

abcd

3.85

8.76

ab5.

494.

062.

19

VC

1.25

tha−1

+A

P5

tha−1

45.3

041

.95c

d19

1.63

96.1

3abc

6.20

ab4.

167.

82c

6.42

3.10

2.29

Not

es.F

YM

,far

mya

rdm

anur

e;V

C,v

erm

icom

post

;A

P,ap

ple

pom

ace

man

ure.

Mea

nsin

aco

lum

nfo

llow

edby

the

sam

ele

tter

are

not

sign

ifica

ntly

diff

eren

t(P

<0.

05).

3141

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Tabl

e2

Eff

ects

ofor

gani

cso

urce

sof

nutr

ient

son

biom

ass

and

leaf

/ste

mra

tio(p

oole

dda

taof

2ye

ars)

Lea

fdr

ybi

omas

s(q

ha−1

)St

emdr

ybi

omas

s(q

ha−1

)To

tald

rybi

omas

s(q

ha−1

)L

eaf/

stem

ratio

Tre

atm

ent

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Tota

lH

arve

st1

Har

vest

2To

tal

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Tota

lH

arve

st1

Har

vest

2

Con

trol

3.00

d1.

16b

4.06

3.04

c1.

31d

4.35

6.07

d2.

46c

8.53

1.03

c0.

88c

FYM

15th

a−16.

92a

2.61

a9.

535.

00a

1.49

cd6.

4911

.95a

4.11

b16

.06

1.37

ab1.

70a

VC

5th

a−14.

09cd

3.46

a7.

553.

31c

1.86

bcd

5.17

7.42

cd5.

32ab

12.7

41.

23bc

1.62

aA

P5

tha−1

5.08

b2.

81a

7.89

4.24

b2.

21ab

6.45

9.33

b5.

02ab

14.3

51.

20bc

1.23

bFY

M10

tha−1

+A

P2.

5th

a−15.

39b

3.53

a8.

923.

43c

2.81

a6.

248.

82bc

6.35

a15

.17

1.57

a1.

22b

FYM

5th

a−1+

AP

5th

a−15.

12bc

2.64

a7.

763.

62bc

1.46

cd5.

088.

73bc

4.11

b12

.84

1.40

b1.

70a

VC

2.5

tha−1

+A

P2.

5th

a−14.

27bc

2.46

a6.

733.

46c

2.03

bc5.

497.

68bc

d4.

49b

12.1

71.

23bc

1.21

b

VC

1.25

tha−1

+A

P5

tha−1

6.89

a3.

23a

10.1

25.

13a

2.07

bc7.

2012

.03a

5.30

ab17

.33

1.30

b1.

49ab

Not

es.F

YM

,far

mya

rdm

anur

e;V

C,v

erm

icom

post

;A

P,ap

ple

pom

ace

man

ure.

Mea

nsin

aco

lum

nfo

llow

edby

the

sam

ele

tter

are

not

sign

ifica

ntly

diff

eren

t(P

<0.

05).

3142

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Effects of Organic Sources of Nutrients on Stevia 3143

Elayaraja and Singaravel (2007), and Patra, Sinha, and Mahesh (2011) also reported similarresults for groundnut. Not only that, but nutrients in organic manures are released gradually(Kumaraswamy 2002), which may be advantageous in certain situations.

Plant Nutrient Status

Application of organic manures did not significantly increase the major nutrients (N andP) in leaf except K during both the harvests (Table 3). The K content in leaves of steviaincreased by the application of organic manures either alone or in combination with APmanure over the control during both harvests. In the stem, the reverse trend was found: Nand P contents in stem were significantly affected by the application of organic manuresduring both the harvests over the control. Significantly greater N and P concentration wasrecorded with the application of VC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 during first harvest of thecrop as compared to VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5.0 t ha−1, AP 5 t ha−1, VC 5 t ha−1, and controlbut remained at par with other treatments. Available N significantly increased due to thedifferent organic manures. Application of VC 5 t ha−1 recorded greater N in stevia leaf.This might be attributed to the increased population of beneficial microorganisms suchas N fixers and P solubilizers, and greater nitrogenase and urease enzyme activity in thesoil (Math 2001). This low C/N ratio of VC might have resulted in faster decomposition

Table 3Effects of organic sources of nutrients on nutrient status of stevia leaf

(pooled data of 2 years)

Harvest 1 Harvest 2

Treatment N (%) P (%) K (%) N (%) P (%) K (%)

LeafControl 1.39 0.25 1.69b 1.54 0.22 1.55bFYM 15 t ha−1 2.48 0.32 2.43a 1.97 0.28 2.17aVC 5 t ha−1 2.49 0.28 2.35a 1.71 0.26 2.20aAP 5 t ha−1 2.31 0.27 2.27a 1.78 0.27 2.23aFYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 2.25 0.31 2.34a 1.60 0.27 2.25aFYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 2.18 0.25 2.27a 1.75 0.24 2.10aVC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 2.39 0.28 2.24a 1.92 0.27 2.18aVC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 2.32 0.30 2.26a 1.91 0.25 2.18a

StemControl 0.87c 0.19c 2.32 0.40b 0.24ab 1.97FYM 15 t ha−1 1.29ab 0.27abc 4.12 0.63a 0.25ab 2.71VC 5 t ha−1 0.88c 0.23bc 3.83 0.59ab 0.30a 2.81AP 5 t ha−1 0.95b 0.21bc 3.07 0.41b 0.17b 3.38FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 1.05bc 0.26abc 3.23 0.40b 0.17b 3.03FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 1.28ab 0.29ab 3.97 0.58ab 0.31a 3.09VC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 1.38a 0.35a 4.34 0.52ab 0.29a 3.33VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 1.02bc 0.25bc 3.58 0.66a 0.26ab 2.71

Notes. FYM, farmyard manure; VC, vermicompost; AP, apple pomace manure. Means in a columnfollowed by the same letter are not significantly different (P < 0.05).

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3144 R. Kumar, S. Sharma, and R. Prasad

and release of nutrients. These results are in agreement with those of Kannan et al.(2005).

At second harvest, application of VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 recorded signifi-cantly greater concentration of N in stem and FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 recordedsignificantly greater concentration of P compared to control. This could be attributed togreater N and P contents of the organic manures and slow and sustained availability of thenutrients as observed by several workers in mints (Patra, Anwar, and Chand 2000; Chand,Anwar, and Patra 2001), french basil (Anwar et al. 2005), and green gram (Rajkhowaet al. 2000). Potassium concentrations in stem were not significantly affected by differentorganic manures. Results from Japan demonstrated that, at the time of maximum dry-matter accumulation, stevia consisted of 1.4% N, 0.3% P, and 2.4% K (Katayama et al.1976). It is an established fact that nutrient application is better than no manuring and wasalso experimentally proved by Murayama et al. (1980) and Goenadi (1985), who obtainedbetter growth rate and dry leaf yield with manuring.

Uptake of Nutrients by Stevia

Uptake of major nutrients by the stevia plant was significantly influenced by the organicmanures (Table 4). The greatest N uptake was recorded by the application of VC 1.25 tha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1 over the control but remained at par with other treatments. A simi-lar trend was observed with respect to P and K uptake by the plant. Yilmaz and Alagoz(2009) reported that soil fertility properties, especially OM, total N, P, Fe, Mn, and Cucontents of soil, have been improved by the AP amendment. It has been observed that mag-nitude of N and K uptake was greater than P. The greater uptake of NPK under differenttreatment combinations was due to the combined influence of greater nutrient concen-trations and dry-matter yield with these treatments. Similar trends were reported earlierfor basil (Anwar et al. 2005); mint (Patra, Anwar, and Chand 2000), and wheat (Dudhatet al. 1997). Enhanced concentration of P in stevia by the organic manures may be dueto increase in solubilization of P either by microorganism activation with excretion oforganic acids such as citric, glutamic, tartaric, succinic, lactic, oxalic, malic, and fumaic

Table 4Effects of organic sources of nutrients on total uptake of NPK (kg ha−1) in stevia

Total uptake (kg ha−1)

Treatment N P K

Control 8.35b 1.77b 14.37bFYM 15 t ha−1 27.55a 4.46a 45.98aVC 5 t ha−1 23.67a 4.17a 40.29aAP 5 t ha−1 21.03a 3.50a 40.53aFYM 10 t ha−1+ AP 2.5 t ha−1 25.48a 4.16a 43.41aFYM 5 t ha−1+ AP 5 t ha−1 21.76a 4.01a 37.78aVC 2.5 t ha−1+ AP 2.5 t ha−1 22.35a 4.19a 40.68aVC 1.25 t ha−1+ AP 5 t ha−1 28.98a 5.07a 48.47a

Notes. FYM, farmyard manure; VC, vermicompost; AP, apple pomace manure. Meansin a column followed by the same letter are not significantly different (P < 0.05).

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Effects of Organic Sources of Nutrients on Stevia 3145

(Suba Rao 1982) or by greater phosphatase activity (Sainz, Taboada-Castro, and Vilarino1998).

Soil Nutrient Status after Harvest

Soil pH, electric conductivity (EC), and available nutrient of soil were significantlyaffected by different organic manures after the harvest of the crop (Table 5). Soil pHwas significantly lower in the plots supplied with FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1. TheEC of soil was significantly lower in plots that were supplied with AP either alone orin combination with FYM and VC. Soil organic carbon (OC) after harvest of the cropwas significantly greater in the plots supplied with organic manures compared to control(Table 5). Soil organic carbon increased by 23.6, 38.9, 40.3, 48.6, 51.4, 54.2, and 62.5%over the control with AP 5 t ha−1, FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1, VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP5 t ha−1, VC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1, VC 5 t ha−1, FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1,and FYM 15 t ha−1, respectively. The greatest increase in SOC over control was observedin FYM-treated plots. Major nutrients in the soil after harvest of stevia were significantlyaffected by the organic manures (Table 5). Significantly lower available N was recordedin control plots as compared to the plots supplied with organic manure either alone or incombination with AP. The extent of increase in available N over the control in the remain-ing treatments were 15.9, 61.5, 62.2, 74.0, 79.4, 80.4, and 90.2% with FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP5 t ha−1, AP 5 t ha−1, FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1, FYM 15 t ha−1, VC 1.25 t ha−1 +AP 5 t ha−1, VC 2.5 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1, and VC 5 t ha−1. There was more buildup ofN in plots supplied with either FYM or VC alone or in combination with AP. This may bedue to slow mineralization of the N from manures. Similar results were also reported byAnwar et al. (2005). Chand, Anwar, and Patra (2001) recorded greater recovery of N in asoil–plant system when applied with FYM. A similar trend was also observed with respectto P and K in postharvest soils. The greatest available P was recorded in VC and AP treatedsoil due to enhanced activation of microorganisms with excretion of organic acids. Besidesthis, AP is a good source of nutrients (Shalini and Gupta 2010). Available K was signif-icantly greater in VC 5 t ha−1 treated plots than in the control but remained at par withall plots supplied with organic manure. Increase in K by vermicompost application maybe due to enhancement in K availability by shifting the equilibrium among the forms ofK from relatively exchangeable K to soluble K forms in the soil. Basker, Macgregor, andKirkman (1992) also reported similar findings.

Quality of Stevia

Quality of stevia was affected by the application of organic manures (Table 6). Stevia plotssupplied with FYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 recorded greater total glycoside during bothharvests as compared to other treatments. Total glycoside produced by the application ofFYM 10 t ha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 was 47.0 and 14.6% greater than the control at harvests1 and 2, respectively. At first harvest, rebaudioside content was greater in plots suppliedwith FYM 5 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1. Because of greater marker compound accumulation(stevioside + rebaudioside-A) stevioside yield was greater with application of FYM 10 tha−1 + AP 2.5 t ha−1 followed by VC 1.25 t ha−1 + AP 5 t ha−1. Liu, Ren, and Shi (2011)have also reported that glycoside content in stevia were greater in those plants which weresupplied with organic manures due to improved root activity and enhanced photosynthesisrate.

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Tabl

e5

Eff

ects

ofor

gani

cso

urce

sof

nutr

ient

son

soil

pH,a

vaila

ble

soil

nutr

ient

stat

us,a

ndor

gani

cca

rbon

afte

rst

evia

harv

est

Tre

atm

ent

pHE

CO

C(%

)A

vaila

ble

N(k

gha

−1)

Ava

ilabl

eP

(kg

ha−1

)A

vaila

ble

K(k

gha

−1)

Con

trol

5.55

cd0.

080a

b0.

72c

112.

0c18

.5b

187.

0bFY

M15

tha−1

5.85

ab0.

093a

1.17

a19

4.9a

32.7

a40

5.3a

VC

5th

a−15.

54cd

0.08

0a1.

09ab

213.

0a33

.1a

433.

5aA

P5

tha−1

5.71

abcd

0.07

3bc

0.89

bc18

0.9a

b35

.9a

429.

8aFY

M10

tha−1

+A

P2.

5th

a−15.

43d

0.07

7b1.

11ab

181.

7ab

38.1

a35

9.9a

FYM

5th

a−1+

AP

5th

a−15.

92a

0.07

7b1.

00ab

129.

8bc

35.5

a38

7.9a

VC

2.5

tha−1

+A

P2.

5th

a−15.

81ab

c0.

087a

b1.

07ab

202.

1a39

.3a

426.

1aV

C1.

25th

a−1+

AP

5th

a−15.

59bc

d0.

060c

1.01

ab20

0.9a

35.8

a41

7.1a

Not

es.F

YM

,far

mya

rdm

anur

e;V

C,v

erm

icom

post

;AP,

appl

epo

mac

em

anur

e;E

C,e

lect

rica

lcon

duct

ivity

;OC

,org

anic

carb

on.M

eans

ina

colu

mn

follo

wed

byth

esa

me

lette

rar

eno

tsig

nific

antly

diff

eren

t(P

<0.

05).

3146

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Tabl

e6

Eff

ects

ofor

gani

cso

urce

sof

nutr

ient

son

mar

ker

com

poun

dac

cum

ulat

ion

ofst

evia

(poo

led

data

of2

year

s)

Har

vest

1H

arve

st2

Tre

atm

ent

St(%

)R

b(%

)

Tota

l(S

t+R

b)(%

)

Stev

iosi

deyi

eld

(kg

ha−1

)St

(%)

Rb

(%)

Tota

l(S

t+R

b)(%

)

Stev

iosi

deyi

eld

(kg

ha−1

)

Tota

lst

evio

side

yiel

d(k

gha

−1)

Con

trol

4.52

1.50

6.02

18.4

33.

811.

455.

265.

9824

.41

FYM

15th

a−14.

281.

846.

1643

.92

3.68

1.51

5.18

12.3

156

.23

VC

5th

a−14.

582.

336.

9229

.47

3.91

1.70

5.61

15.5

845

.05

AP

5th

a−13.

821.

875.

7029

.30

3.60

1.42

5.02

11.8

141

.11

FYM

10th

a−1+

AP

2.5

tha−1

6.72

2.10

8.85

48.5

74.

221.

816.

0319

.25

67.8

2FY

M5

tha−1

+A

P5

tha−1

4.86

2.89

7.75

39.7

34.

520.

855.

3813

.01

52.7

3V

C2.

5th

a−1+

AP

2.5

tha−1

6.14

2.07

8.22

35.8

13.

641.

224.

879.

1444

.95

VC

1.25

tha−1

+A

P5

tha−1

4.58

2.23

6.80

47.2

63.

831.

515.

3514

.90

62.1

6SE

M±

0.65

0.51

0.63

0.52

0.08

0.69

Not

es.F

YM

,far

mya

rdm

anur

e;V

C,v

erm

icom

post

;AP,

appl

epo

mac

em

anur

e;St

,Ste

vios

ide;

Rb,

Reb

audi

osid

e–A

;SE

M,s

tand

ard

erro

rof

mea

n.

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3148 R. Kumar, S. Sharma, and R. Prasad

Conclusions

The result of the study showed that the application of organic manure in conjunction withAP manure is a better proposition for greater yield, nutrient uptake, and quality of stevia.Integration of FYM and VC with AP has not only helped in building soil fertility in termsof soil nutrient availability and increasing the organic carbon status of the soil but was alsoadvantageous in safe disposal of AP.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Director CSIR-IHBT, Palampur, for providing necessaryfacility during the course of study. The authors are also thankful to Sandeep Tehria forfield management, Vijaylata Pathania for chemical analysis, and the Council of Scientificand Industrial Research, New Delhi, for financial assistance. This is IHBT PublicationNo. 2342.

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