Optimization of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) for Organic Cultivation of Andrographis paniculata Burm. f. Nees

Andrographis paniculata is a medicinal plant used to cure many diseases in humans. Organically grown biomass of the plant is safe for utilisation through pharmaceutical formulation. Organically grown raw materials for product development are preferred by Pharmaceutical industries. The high biomass yield and secondary metabolite production are mostly dependent on optimal nutrient management practices. Considering this fact, different doses of farm yard manure (FYM), 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 t ha^{− 1}, were utilised to standardise the optimum dose for organic cultivation of A. paniculata. Results indicated that plant growth and fresh biomass yield increased corresponding with increased FYM doses. However, the dry biomass (1980 kg ha^{− 1}) of A. paniculata was significantly increased up to FYM@15 t ha^{− 1}. The analytical results indicated that N, P, and K uptake increased with increasing doses of FYM. Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn contents varied and increased with increasing doses of FYM. For quality parameters, Andrographolide and neo-andrographolide varied in amount and showed a positive effect with increasing doses of FYM.