Enhancing Growth and Yield of Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.): Influence of Organic Manure and Inorganic Fertilizer Applications

The indiscriminate use of inorganic fertilizers depletes soil fertility and reduces crop yields. Limited information exists on nutrient management for Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.). A field experiment conducted from 2016-17 to 2019-20 at Rahuri (MS) evaluated the effects of organic manure and inorganic fertilizer levels on Tulsi yield. The randomized block design (RBD) experiment included 12 treatments combining chemical fertilizers (N:P2O5:K2O) at three levels (30:20:10, 40:30:20, and 50:40:30 kg ha⁻¹) with or without farmyard manure (FYM) at 5 or 10 t ha⁻¹, alongside FYM-only and control treatments. The results showed that, the treatment T9 (50:40:30 kg ha⁻¹ + FYM 10 t ha⁻¹) significantly improved plant height, branches per plant, fresh and dry herbage yield, and soil nutrient status (N, P, and K) over the control. T9 also achieved the highest economic returns with a superior B:C ratio, closely followed by T8 (40:30:20 kg ha⁻¹ + FYM 10 t ha⁻¹). This study concludes that combining higher inorganic fertilizer levels with FYM (10 t ha⁻¹) optimizes growth, yield, and soil fertility in Tulsi cultivation.