Abstract
The nutritional quality of the food has become a serious concern in existing agricultural system as the present world aims to enhance only the food production. A field experiment was carried out to study the effect of different fertilizers on growth, vitamin C and calcium content in yield of Capsicum chinense at Regional Agricultural Research and Development Center, Makandura consisting four treatments as without fertilizer (control/ T1), only compost (T2), compost + inorganic fertilizer (T3) and only inorganic fertilizer (T4) with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicating four times. Vitamin C content was measured by Indophenol dye redox titration method and calcium content was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Data was analyzed using analysis of variance. The highest growth was recorded in T3 and no significant differences between treatments in growth parameters at 50% flowering stage.The Vitamin C content was highest in treatment with only compost (T2) and the lowest in treatment compost + inorganic fertilizer (T3). The results indicated that yield from organically managed crops contain significantly higher amount of vitamin C (9.24±2.27 mg/100g, p= 0.0274). The highest calcium content was found in T1 (control) (1.1±0.05 %) and a significant difference (p= 0.0296) was observed between T1 (control) and T3 (calcium=0.75±0.12 %). Compost alone can be used to produce food with high amount of vitamin C. Use of inorganic fertilizer alone or integration of compost with inorganic fertilizer was less effective in producing high quality nutritious foods.
Highlights
In the near future, the most important challenge has been to produce enough healthy food for the rising population
The highest growth was recorded in T3 and no significant differences between treatments in growth parameters at 50% flowering stage.The Vitamin C content was highest in treatment with only compost (T2) and the lowest in treatment compost + inorganic fertilizer (T3)
Use of inorganic fertilizer alone or integration of compost with inorganic fertilizer was less effective in producing high quality nutritious foods
Summary
The most important challenge has been to produce enough healthy food for the rising population. It significantly augmented the “quantity” of the food but decreased its “nutritional quality” and destroyed the “chemical, physical, and the biological properties of soil” by overuse frequently (Sharma & Agarwal, 2014). A large number of experiments have been conducted to investigate a difference in the nutritional value of organically and conventionally grown food (Bourn & Prescott, 2002). Worthington (2001) adjudged that organic crops contained significantly more vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium and iron and lower amounts of heavy metals, less nitrates and significantly less protein but of better quality as compared with conventional crops. The yield of organically managed vegetable cultivation is low, most of their sensory, nutritive and storage quality characters are better than the conventionally grown crops. The higher content of vitamin C concurrently with lower level of nitrates in organic potatoes will be a vital anti-carcinogenic influence on human beings (Rembialkowska, 2003)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
