Enhancing growth attributes of sacred basil through organic nutrient management

Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum L.) is a medicinal and aromatic plant of high therapeutic, cultural and economic importance in India and tropical regions. To enhance its productivity sustainably, a field experiment titled “Enhancing growth attributes of sacred basil through organic nutrient management” was conducted during summer 2024 at MHREC, UHS Bagalkot, Karnataka, in a Randomized Block Design with 13 treatments and 3 replications. Treatments included combinations of vermicompost, microbial consortium, Panchagavya, humic acid, Jeevamrutha at 100% and 75% N levels, alongside RDF and inorganic control. Significant differences were observed for plant height, number of primary and secondary branches and plant spread at different growth stages. T₆ (100% N through Vermicompost + Microbial consortium @ 15 kg ha^-1 + Panchagavya @ 3% + Humic acid @ 2.5 L ha^-1 + Jeevamrutha @ 500 L ha^-1) recorded the highest plant height (39.67 cm, 73.77 cm and 87.50 cm at 30 DAP, 60 DAP and harvest), primary branches (6.42, 10.93 and 14.72), secondary branches (13.90, 30.35 and 46.81) and plant spread (1185.03 cm², 2229.69 cm² and 4657.54 cm²). In contrast, T₁₃ (only 100% NPK) showed the lowest values for plant height (31.50 cm, 43.27 cm and 59.97 cm), primary branches (3.33, 6.13 and 8.25), secondary branches (7.12, 17.83 and 29.38) and plant spread (428.41 cm², 1028.25 cm² and 2856.01 cm²). These results demonstrate the clear superiority of integrated organic nutrient management over inorganic fertilization in improving growth parameters of sacred basil.