article · Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences
Ginger is an important crop used in cooking and medicine, yet its cultivation often suffers from poor nutrient management. Lysimeter trials evaluated how different mineral fertiliser regimes influence nutrient levels in ginger rhizomes and affect soil enzyme activity and properties. Applying a standard nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium mix significantly raised potassium, phosphorus, and sodium levels in the rhizomes. However, combining nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with micronutrients, specifically boron, zinc, and iron, produced broader benefits. This formulation substantially elevated concentrations of multiple essential macroelements and microelements in the rhizome, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Furthermore, the combined treatment enhanced soil nutrient contents, including nitrogen and phosphorus, whilst stimulating the activity of vital soil enzymes such as urease, invertase, and catalase, demonstrating the value of balanced macro- and micronutrient application.
Ginger is valued globally for its dietary, therapeutic, and immune-supporting properties, but poor soil management limits its nutritional quality. Demonstrating that specific mineral fertiliser blends enhance both rhizome nutrient density and underlying soil biological activity offers growers practical strategies to improve harvest quality. Healthier soils and nutrient-dense crops support both agricultural productivity and the nutritional value of medicinal plants.
This research presents an applied agricultural recipe that could inform fertiliser formulation and agronomic guidelines for commercial ginger growers and fertiliser manufacturers. Because the findings derive from controlled lysimeter experiments, the approach is at an applied and tested stage, though further field-scale validation under diverse commercial growing conditions would be necessary before widespread adoption by agricultural extension programmes or commercial input suppliers.
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Ginger is used as one of the important ingredients in traditional as well as modern medicine besides as a spice. It boosts immunity and is a rich source of many biologically active substances and minerals. Although it is a medicinally important crop, its productivity is, however, affected due to poor nutrient management and therefore it requires an adequate supply of nutrients in the form of inorganic fertilizers or organic manuring, or a mixture of both. In this context, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of mineral fertilizers on the content of mineral elements in the ginger rhizome, on soil enzyme activity, and soil properties. Lysimeter experiments were conducted at the Institute of Genetics and Plant Experimental Biology, Kibray, Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. The experiment comprised of four treatments T1 - Control, T2 - N<sub>75</sub>P<sub>50</sub>K<sub>50</sub> kg/ha, T3 - and T4 - N<sub>100</sub>P<sub>75</sub>K<sub>75</sub> + B<sub>3</sub>Zn<sub>6</sub>Fe<sub>6</sub> kg/ha. The results showed that the application of N<sub>125</sub>P<sub>100</sub>K<sub>100</sub> kg/ha increased rhizome K content by 49%, P content by 20%, and Na content by 58% as compared to control without fertilizer. While the application of N<sub>100</sub>P<sub>75</sub>K<sub>75</sub> + B<sub>3</sub>Zn<sub>6</sub>Fe<sub>6</sub> kg/ha showed a significant enhancement in rhizome K, Ca, P, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mo, and Si contents over the control. This treatment also improved active P content by 29%, total P content by 80%, total K content 16%, and N content by 33% content, and the activities of urease, invertase, and catalase activities as compared to control of without mineral fertilizer and control respectively. Thus the application of NPK + BZnFe at the rate of 100:75:75:3:6:6 kg/ha helps in improving macroelements and microelements in the ginger rhizome and activities of soil enzymes that helps in mineral nutrition of the rhizome.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.05.037
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