A comparative study on the efficacy of homoeopathic phosphorus 6X, 200C, 0/3 potencies on growth of Allium sativum in phosphate-deficient soil

INTRODUCTION

Allium sativum L is a member of the Alliaceae family and is also considered a spice and a wonderful remedy. Garlic has 33 sulphur compounds, several enzymes, 17 amino acids and minerals such as selenium. While comparing to other allium group plants, this has more sulphur compounds in it, which are responsible for its pungent odour and medicinal value.^[1]

Farmers strive to produce high yield and good quality garlic both for consumption and economic value, but soil fertility depletion is among the major impediments to sustained garlic production, especially in the less developed countries, because of limited application of suitable rate, type and sources of fertilisers.^[2] The present study analyses the relation between the rapidly increasing population in India and the declining environmental condition in India. This study aimed to reflect the environmental impacts because of growing population in India.^[3]

Chemically produced plant accumulated in the human body, toxic chemicals, which were very dangerous. The deleterious effect of the chemical fertilisers will start from the manufacturing of these chemicals, whose products and byproducts were some toxic chemicals or gases such as NH₄, CO₂ and CH₄ which will cause air pollution. When the wastes from the industries were disposed of untreated into nearby water bodies, it would cause water pollution. It also included the most devastating effect of chemical waste accumulation in the water bodies i.e. the water eutrophication and when added to soil, its continuous use degraded the soil health and quality, hence causing soil pollution. Therefore, it was high time to realise that this crop production input was depleting our environment and ecosystem. Hence, its continuous use without taking any remedial measures to reduce or judicious use would deplete all the natural resources 1 day and would threaten all life in the body.^[4]

Phosphate is an essential nutrient for plant growth as it helps in the biosynthesis of adenosine triphosphate and activates enzymes in the signal transduction pathway. It combines with other micronutrients such as zinc, manganese, iron and copper and enhances the absorption and accumulation.^[5]

A. sativum L has many diseases treating property and maintains the health of the people, so it is one of the essential foods in our diet to reduce the growing disease conditions in India. Thus, the dynamic action of homoeopathic medicine phosphorus in various potencies is to be studied in order to enhance food production for the growing population as well as for a pollution-free environment.^[6]

There has been a study about the effects of homoeopathic phosphorus on the growth of a plant named Verbena gratissima by Santos et al., (2011). Homoeopathic phosphorus is mostly prescribed for the heat-intolerant plant species. When a plant demands adequate fertilisers, but is not supplied, they do not produce growth. Hence, if a plant was provided with phosphorus, then the plant growth was similar to that of fertilised one.^[7]

Arif et al., (2016) had conducted the study to find the interactive effect of phosphorus and zinc on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of garlic. The basic nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus and potash, had to be supplied through fertiliser to increase the garlic growth. Phosphorus had the importance for root enlargement. In that experiment, phosphorus helped in increasing the plant height.^[8]

Phosphorus 200 had a beneficial result in increasing the plant mass, bulb diameter and length.^[9]

Suresh et al., (2023) had conducted a study where various potencies of phosphorus are used in the growth of Zea mays, such as Phosphorus 6C, 30C, 200C, 10M and 0/3 and concluded that phosphorus 10M had shown a significant increase in growth compared to other potencies.^[10]

Hence, as a result of these studies, as well as the insufficiency of phosphate in the soil, was the sole reason for the use of homoeopathic phosphorus in this study. As there were various scales of potencies in homoeopathy that were decimal, centesimal and millesimal, which scale of potency would act better was not known. Hence, in each scale, potency was selected.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Study setting

The study was conducted in Sivakasi, where the phosphate-deficient soil was available in our agricultural field. This phosphate deficiency was identified through the soil analysis by the ICAR National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, as shown in Figure 1.

Close

Figure 1: Soil analysis report.

Export to PPT

RESULTS

The temperature range of the area varied from 26.1°C to 33.9°C. The plants were watered regularly in the morning without overflooding, and weekly once the medicated water was sprayed. The plants were under a temperature stress it would not provide much growth at that temperature.

The growth of plant sample 1, which is the control in which the garlic cloves were sprayed with normal water. The growth of 10 plants in 9 weeks, as shown in Figure 2, was observed, represented in graphical form [Figure 3] and the growth in cm each week is mentioned in Table 1.

Close

Figure 2: Control after 9 weeks.

Export to PPT

Close

Figure 3: Control group curve.

Export to PPT

Y axis refers to the height of plants in cm.

Each colour line refers to the single plant that is represented as a series in the graph.

The maximum growth observed in the control was 33 cm.

The growth of plant sample 2, which is Phosphorus 6X, in which the garlic cloves were sprayed with normal water, was recorded. The growth of 10 plants over 9 weeks, as shown in Figure 4, was observed, represented in graphical form in Figure 5 and the growth in cm each week is mentioned in Table 2. The maximum growth observed in Phosphorus 6X was 32 cm.

Close

Figure 4: Phosphorus 6X after 9 weeks.

Export to PPT

Close

Figure 5: Phosphorus 6X growth curve.

Export to PPT

The growth of plant sample 3, which is Phosphorus 200, in which the garlic cloves were sprayed with normal water, was recorded. The growth of 10 plants over 9 weeks, as shown in Figure 6, was observed, represented in graphical form in Figure 7, and the growth in cm each week is mentioned in Table 3. The maximum growth observed in Phosphorus 200 was 39 cm.

Close

Figure 6: Phosphorus 200 after 9 weeks.

Export to PPT

Close

Figure 7: Phosphorus 200 growth curve.

Export to PPT

The growth of plant sample 4, which is Phosphorus 0/3, in which the garlic cloves were sprayed with normal water, was recorded. The growth of 10 plants in 9 weeks, as shown in Figure 8, was observed, represented in graphical form in Figure 9 and the growth in cm each week was mentioned in Table 4. The maximum growth observed in Phosphorus 0/3 was 41 cm.

Close

Figure 8: Phosphorus 0/3 after 9 weeks.

Export to PPT

Close

Figure 9: Phosphorus 0/3 growth curve.

Export to PPT

The mean value of the last week’s growth of all sample batches is mentioned in Table 5 and graphically represented in Figure 10.

Close

Figure 10: Graphical representation of mean growth.

Export to PPT

The result from the above collected details was that the plants are well grown in the Phosphorus 200, and the second best was Phosphorus 0/3 potency, though Phosphorus 6X had shown the best growth in the first few weeks and suddenly started to die in the past 2 weeks.

DISCUSSION

The discussion of the study provides valuable information about the growth of A. sativum L in different potencies in the phosphate-deficient soil.

According to the study conducted by Mabapa et al.,^[11] (2010), there was not much effect of growth of soya bean with phosphorus fertiliser and our results indicate that homoeopathic phosphorus showed prominent growth of A. sativum L.

When compared with the study of Santos et al., (2011)^[7] the homoeopathic medicine phosphorus has shown positive and negative linear growth when compared to the placebo. Phosphorus 200 and Phosphorus 0/3 showed positive linear growth when compared to the placebo and Phosphorus 6X showed negative linear growth when compared to the placebo.^[7]

According to the study conducted by Arif et al., (2016) the basic nutrient phosphorus must be supplied to the garlic for its growth and it helps in increasing the height. [8] Like that, when phosphorus is supplied in different potencies, the height of the plant is increased.

According to the study conducted by Badal et al., (2019)^[12] the organic manure would improve the vegetative growth parameters of garlic. The result I got was very much similar. Since the homoeopathic medicines are in a more diluted form, the quantity of the medicine is very small, and the quality of the medicine is very high. The growth is found to be inevitable in the high potencies such as Phosphorus 200 and Phosphorus 0/3.^[12]

According to the study conducted by Brindhaban et al., (2020) the crops are well grown in phosphorus fertilizer and also in my study, the phosphorus showed better growth.^[13]

Although the research provided positive results in the 200 and 0/3 potencies, the growth was influenced by the temperature factor, which was not suitable for garlic growth, and there were several micronutrient imbalances in the soil, which would have affected the growth, so further research is needed to rule out these errors found in the study.

CONCLUSION

After 9 weeks of growth analysis Phosphorus 200 exhibited the highest mean growth when compared to other groups. The next highest growth was by Phosphorus 0/3 followed by the Placebo group. Phosphorus 6X showed the least overall growth despite showing increased growth in the initial weeks of the research. There was a deficiency in nitrogen and iron in the soil, which would influence the growth of the plant by affecting the plant’s metabolism and growth.