Standardization of the vermicompost for organic cultivation of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wallich ex Nees

Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wallich ex Nees is an important medicinal plant that belongs to the family Acanthaceae . It has been used to treat many human diseases since ancient times. The pharmaceutical industries accept only organically grown biomass of A. paniculata that is free from contamination. Vermicompost is an important organic manure that is used as an organic source for the cultivation of crops. The experiment aims to find the optimum dose of vermicompost for organic cultivation of A. paniculata. The different doses of the vermicompost, i.e., Control (T₁), 2.5 t/ha (T₂), 5 t/ha (T₃), 7.5 t/ha (T₄), 10 t/ha (T₅), 12.5 t/ha (T₆) and 15 t/ha (T₇) were standardized in Randomized Block Design with 4 replications. The experimental results showed that the optimum dose of vermicompost was 7.5 t/ha for A. paniculata. The analytical results indicated that N, P, K and Ca content increased with an increase in doses of vermicompost. Micronutrient (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni) content varies in different amounts and increases with increasing doses of vermicompost. For quality parameters, andrographolide, neo-androgra-pholide and wogonine varied in different amounts and had no effect corresponding to increasing doses of vermicompost. Soil physico-chemical properties were improved with increasing doses of vermicompost.