Background: Indigenous organic formulations, such as Beejamrutham, Jeevamrutham and Panchagavya are widely used in sustainable agriculture to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. These formulations are rich in microbial diversity, which plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling and plant growth promotion. Understanding the dynamics of microbial populations during the storage period of these formulations is essential for determining their optimal usage period on crops. This study aims to characterize the microbial diversity of indigenous organic formulations to identify the best period for their application on crops. 
 
Methods: Experiments were conducted to analyze the microbial populations of Beejamrutham, Jeevamrutham and Panchagavya over different storage periods. The microbial diversity was assessed by counting the populations of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), potassium-releasing bacteria (KRB), total bacteria, yeast, and actinobacteria at various time points. The biochemical properties, including total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, total sugar, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, gibberellic acid (GA), ascorbic acid and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), were also measured to evaluate the nutritional content of the formulations. 
 
Result: The study revealed that in Jeevamrutham, PSB and KRB counts increased until the 10th day post-preparation and then decreased, while total bacterial counts continued to rise. In Panchagavya, total bacteria and PSB populations peaked on the 24th day after preparation before declining and KRB, Actinobacteria, and yeast populations also increased with aging. Beejamrutham showed a decrease in microbial population over time, suggesting immediate use after preparation for optimal benefits. Biochemical analysis indicated that Panchagavya had higher total nutrients and IAA content, while Jeevamrutham had greater GA and ascorbic acid concentrations compared to the other formulations. Beejamrutham showed higher non-reducing sugars, IAA content compared to other organic preparations.

Microbial Dynamics and Shelf-life Assessment of Indigenous Organic Preparations Beejamrutham, Jeevamrutham and Panchagavya for Sustainable Agriculture

Background: Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), ancient nutri-cereal rich in calcium, iron and other micronutrients, plays a vital role in food and nutritional security across semi-arid regions. Despite its resilience, productivity in India remains limited due to nutrient deficiencies, reliance on low-yielding varieties and imbalanced fertilizer use. 
 
Methods: The field experiment was conducted during summer (Febraury - April) 2024 at SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, to study the influence of integrated nutrient management practices and micronutrient supplementation on growth, yield attributes and productivity of foxtail millet (var. ATL 1). The study was laid out in a split-plot design with three main plot treatments M1: 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), M2: 50% RDF and M3: Farmyard manure (FYM @ 12.5 t/ha) and four subplot treatments comprising S1: soil application of TNAU micronutrient mixture (12.5 kg/ha), S2: foliar spray of FeSO4&nbsp;(0.5%) + ZnSO4&nbsp;(0.5%) + Borax (0.2%), S3: Panchagavya (3%) and S4: Jeevamrutham (3%). Foliar applications were given at active tillering (30 DAS) and flowering (45 DAS). 
 
Result: The present study revealed that the combined application of 100% RDF with foliar spraying of Fe, Zn and B (M1S2) significantly improved plant height, tiller number, dry matter production and yield parameters compared to reduced fertilizer or organic inputs alone. This treatment recorded the maximum number of panicles per hill, grains per panicle, panicle length, panicle weight, grain yield (2486 kg/ha) and straw yield (4571 kg/ha), with a harvest index of 0.47. The improvement was attributed to enhanced nutrient uptake, photosynthetic efficiency and balanced source-sink translocation. The findings highlight that integration of NPK fertilizers with foliar application of Fe, Zn and B is a promising strategy for enhancing yield and resource-use efficiency in foxtail millet cultivation under irrigated conditions.

Influence of Nutrient Management Practices on Growth and Yield Performance of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica L.) in Irrigated Conditions