Yield and Quality Constitutents in Costus Specious under Varying Levels of N, P and K
By: Sudhadevi P K.
Contributor(s): Mohanakumaran N (Guide).
Material type:
BookPublisher: Vellanikkara Department of Horticulture (Plantation Crops and Spices), College of Horticulture 1981DDC classification: 633.8 Online resources: Click here to access online | Click here to access online Dissertation note: MSc Abstract: An experiment was conducted at the College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during May to December, 1980 to study the effect of three levels (15, 30 and 45 kg per hectare) each of N, P2O5 and K2O in a 33 partially confounded design on the yield and quality constituents of Costus speciosus (koening) Smith.
Application of nitrogen increased the growth of plants in terms of height, length and breadth of leaves, area per leaf and total leaf area per plant. A mathematical equation, Y = 0.6341x + 4.008 (where x is the product of the length and breadth of leaves and Y is the leaf area) was derived which enabled the rapid estimation of the leaf area. Yield attributes like green yield, percentage dry matter, dry yield, percentage content of diosgenin in the rhizomes and total yield of diosgenin per hectare were also influenced by nitrogen. Phosphorus, in general, showed a depressing effect on the growth of the plant, which was minimised in the presence of either nitrogen or potassium. Phosphorus favourably influenced the percentage of diosgenin content in the rhizomes. The effect of potassium on growth characters was observed to be more or less similar to that of nitrogen, Potassium also influenced the percentage of diosgenin in the rhizomes and yield per hectare of diosgenin. Addition of phosphorus was found to generally improve the diosgenin content at higher levels of either nitrogen or potassium. Following fertilizer application, nitrogen content of above-ground parts and rhizomes increased significantly. Phosphorus content of the rhizomes was increased by the application of potassium, while the potassium content of both parts increased followed by the application of phosphorus. Among the various biometric characters, plant height and total leaf area per plant were found to be highly correlated with diosgenin yield. It was also observed that the diosgenin content of the plant contributed more towards the diosgenin yield per hectare than did the dry matter yield.
The tentative optimum dose for the maximum yield of diosgenin was observed to be 45:30:30 kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O), respectively. The cultivation of the crop was found to be economic under our agroclimatic conditions, netting a profit of Rs. 7,500/- per hectare. It is evident from the present study that cultivation of Costus speciosus as a field crop is feasible. However, the popularisation of the crop can be done only after conducting detailed studies on the market demand, the fluctuations in the price level, diversified uses of diosgenin, etc.
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Theses
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KAU Central Library, Thrissur Theses | 633.8 SUD/YI (Browse shelf) | Available | 171075 |
MSc
An experiment was conducted at the College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during May to December, 1980 to study the effect of three levels (15, 30 and 45 kg per hectare) each of N, P2O5 and K2O in a 33 partially confounded design on the yield and quality constituents of Costus speciosus (koening) Smith.
Application of nitrogen increased the growth of plants in terms of height, length and breadth of leaves, area per leaf and total leaf area per plant. A mathematical equation, Y = 0.6341x + 4.008 (where x is the product of the length and breadth of leaves and Y is the leaf area) was derived which enabled the rapid estimation of the leaf area. Yield attributes like green yield, percentage dry matter, dry yield, percentage content of diosgenin in the rhizomes and total yield of diosgenin per hectare were also influenced by nitrogen. Phosphorus, in general, showed a depressing effect on the growth of the plant, which was minimised in the presence of either nitrogen or potassium. Phosphorus favourably influenced the percentage of diosgenin content in the rhizomes. The effect of potassium on growth characters was observed to be more or less similar to that of nitrogen, Potassium also influenced the percentage of diosgenin in the rhizomes and yield per hectare of diosgenin. Addition of phosphorus was found to generally improve the diosgenin content at higher levels of either nitrogen or potassium. Following fertilizer application, nitrogen content of above-ground parts and rhizomes increased significantly. Phosphorus content of the rhizomes was increased by the application of potassium, while the potassium content of both parts increased followed by the application of phosphorus. Among the various biometric characters, plant height and total leaf area per plant were found to be highly correlated with diosgenin yield. It was also observed that the diosgenin content of the plant contributed more towards the diosgenin yield per hectare than did the dry matter yield.
The tentative optimum dose for the maximum yield of diosgenin was observed to be 45:30:30 kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O), respectively. The cultivation of the crop was found to be economic under our agroclimatic conditions, netting a profit of Rs. 7,500/- per hectare. It is evident from the present study that cultivation of Costus speciosus as a field crop is feasible. However, the popularisation of the crop can be done only after conducting detailed studies on the market demand, the fluctuations in the price level, diversified uses of diosgenin, etc.
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