DESIGNING NUTRIENT DENSE URBAN CROPS THROUGH ORGANIC POT MIX SUPPLEMENTS - A METABOLOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL APPROACH

Abstract

Background: Container gardening in urban and peri-urban agroecosystems requires nutrient-rich and biologically active growth media to sustain crop productivity and quality. Objectives: The study aimed to develop and evaluate an organic pot mixture supplement (PMS) and relate its GC-MS–based metabolite profile to plant growth, yield and quality. Methods: The optimized formulation, PMS-3, comprised Ganajeevamirtham + 5% neem cake + 3% Bacillus subtilis + 10% PGPR consortium. Its performance was evaluated under pot culture conditions in palak, tomato, brinjal, chilli, bhendi, cabbage and cauliflower against organic and inorganic amendments. GC-MS profiling and agronomic, yield and quality parameters were assessed. Results: PMS-3 showed diverse bioactive metabolites associated with nutrient availability, stress tolerance and plant growth promotion. It significantly enhanced growth and yield across crops, with increases of 95.1% in leaf length, 210% in leaf area and 407% in fresh leaf yield of palak, 108.5% in tomato yield, 27.1% in cauliflower curd weight and 23.7% in chilli yield over the untreated control. Quality attributes including TSS, ascorbic acid, β-carotene and lycopene were also improved. PMS-3 at 50 g pot⁻¹ every 15 days for leafy vegetables and 100 g pot⁻¹ monthly for fruiting crops was effective, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable organic supplement for container-based horticulture.