Impact of potential biodegradable substrates on aromatic/ornamental plant growth and development

Purpose: Soil mixtures play a key role in soil fertility and productivity. Keeping in view the importance of soil mixtures, our study aimed to find suitable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective soil substrates for better growth of aromatic plants. Method: Physico-chemical properties of substrates- banana peel (BP), groundnut shell (GS), coconut coir (CC) and rice husk (RH) were determined, further these substrates were mixed with soil to check their effect on growth and development of aromatic plants. GS was used in combination with other substrates to study its effect by observing various growth parameters and triplicate data was analyzed by two-way ANOVA. Results: Nutrients estimation in selected substrates showed high potassium in GS, CC and RH while magnesium was high in BP. BP, GS, and CC have acidic pH while RH has neutral pH. CC showed higher moisture content and water holding capacity. A significant increase in rose height (37.33 ± 1.52 cm) and flowering (9 ± 1) was observed when supplemented with burned rice husk (BRH) and BP respectively. Similarly, daisy plant height and flowering were increased when supplemented with the GS. The elaborate study in marigold plants showed significant increase in height (38.2 ± 0.09 cm), leaf width (1 ± 0.1 cm) and leaf length (6 ± 0.09 cm) using GS + BRH while flowering (18 ± 1) was enhanced when supplemented with GS + BP. Conclusion: The information emanating from this study may be valuable in selecting the appropriate soil mixtures from organic waste for sustainable plant growth. Research Highlights • Biodegradable substrates which impact on overall development of plant growth. • Soil mixtures play a key role in soil fertility and productivity. • Development of eco-friendly, and cost-effective soil substrate for better growth of aromatic/ornamental plants. • Agriculture wastes such as coconut coir, groundnut shell powder, banana peel powder and rice husk can be potential substrates for plant growth. • Selecting a suitable substrate from the agricultural wastes is the key highlight of the current research.