Impact of mineral fertilizers on mineral nutrients in the ginger rhizome and on soil enzymes activities and soil properties

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 - N₇₅P₅₀K₅₀ kg/ha, T3 - and T4 - N₁₀₀P₇₅K₇₅ + B₃Zn₆Fe₆ kg/ha. The results showed that the application of N₁₂₅P₁₀₀K₁₀₀ 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 N₁₀₀P₇₅K₇₅ + B₃Zn₆Fe₆ 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.