European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience

Authors
Darshan Kaur Cheema, Sukhbir Kaur Gujral, Ritu Pandey

Abstract
Organic compost, commonly referred to as natural fertilizer, is decomposed organic matter obtained from animal excreta and dead remains of plants and animals. Application of organic compost is a classical approach to improve soil fertility. Use of organic compost improves nutrient content, micro flora, pH and aeration of soil which in turn results in increased productivity of cultivated crops. However, the increasing human population poses a constant demand of increased food supply. In this context, chemical fertilizers are heavily used in agricultural fields to obtain better yield. Chemical fertilizers are rapidly absorbed by plants and need to be added in very small quantities. In present study, authors have compared the effect of different types of organic composts with chemical fertilizers in Vigna unguiculata L. The effect of organic compost and chemical fertilizer was evaluated on various parameters such as plant height, leaf area, weight, antioxidant activity and active principles. The results indicate that plants supplemented with organic composts exhibited better growth as compared to plants supplemented with chemical fertilizers.