Homa Farming Of Brinjal (Effect of Agnihotra and Amritjal on Growth, Yield and Quality of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.))

Abstract

Brinjal is a crop grown widely all over India and loved by both rich and poor. The Chhotanagpur region especially of Jharkhand is famous for rampant vegetable production. There is a wide use of chemical and synthetic fertilizers that are so expensive that poor farmers can’t afford it. The high use of chemicals and synthetics also reduces the quality of both the produce and the cultivated soil. In this context, attempts have been made combining solutions for both of the problems by conducting a varietal trial using four non-chemical alternative growing conditions viz. E1C1: Amritjal (1%), E1C2: Absolute Control (Inherent Fertility Status of Experimental Soil); E2C1: Amritjal (1%) + Homa Induction (Agnihotra), and E2C2: Only Homa Induction (Agnihotra) by employing five local varieties viz. V1: Swarna Pratibha; V2: Swarna Neelima; V3: Swarna Shakti; V4: Mukta Jhuri; V5: Long Green. The experimental was designed after RBD with three replications. The studied growth, yield and quality attributing characters revealed that the maximum yield (91.41 ± 6.05 t.ha-1) in Swarna Neelima as recorded by the treatment E2C1: Amritjal (1%) + Homa Induction (Agnihotra) because of its supply of high nutrition through soil and air. Whereas in quality parameters like TSS and Chlorophyll etc. are in different varieties also performed best in E2C1: Amritjal (1%) + Homa Induction (Agnihotra) condition. Coming to the varieties, the variety V2 (Swarna Neelima) has recorded the highest yield (91.41 ± 6.05 t.ha-1). But the variety V3 (Swarna Shakti) performed well in terms of its quality parameters like TSS (5.98 ± 0.110Brix), reducing sugar (3.76 ± 0.04%) content etc. Considering both the variety and alternative growing conditions, V2 (Swarna Neelima) emerged as the best performing variety under the growing condition of E2C1: Amritjal (1%) + Homa Induction (Agnihotra). The expression of different studied quality traits performed independently under the influences of alternative growing conditions.. However, the highest B:C ratio of 6.72 has been recorded in V2 (Swarna Neelima) particularly when cultivated through the alternative growing condition of E2C1: Amritjal (1%) + Homa Induction (Agnihotra). So, it may be concluded that Swarna Neelima variety of brinjal is highly suitable for cultivation in the south Chhotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand by using alternative growing condition of E2C1: Amritjal (1%) + Homa Induction (Agnihotra).