Organic management is a viable alternative for arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea L.)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Organic production of under-utilised tuber crops, like arrowroot, is preferred due to benefits related to safety, sustainability, human health and environmental impact, but there is very little information on organic management of arrowroot. Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea L) is valued for its quality starch, used for human food, animal feed, cosmetic and industrial purposes. Field experiments were undertaken during 2015–2017 at ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, India, to compare growth, yield, economics, quality and soil properties of organic vs conventional management of arrowroot. The organic management system was found to be a good alternative, with the yield in the organic (with biofertilisers) treatment (12.81 t ha−1) being comparable to that in the conventional (13.05 t ha−1) and integrated (12.93 t ha−1) practices. Due to the small yield benefit, the conventional practice resulted in a higher net return (US $ 3345 ha−1) and benefit:cost ratio (2.22), but these were closely followed by integrated and organic (with biofertilisers) treatments. For the soil, the organic (with biofertilisers) practice significantly enhanced exchangeable Ca (in 2016–17) and appeared to result in slight improvements in pH, organic C, CEC, available Zn and Cu concentrations (though not statistically significant). The soil in the organic treatments also had a lower bulk density than that in the conventional treatment. The organic management systems investigated in this research could enable further expansion of the cultivation of this crop in hitherto unexplored areas.