Optimization of soil organic fertilizers for enhancing paddy seedling growth in tray nurseries and sustainable paddy production in India

The soil organic growing fertilizers are a powerful proportion to optimize the physiochemical properties, seedlings growth and production implications in sustainable agriculture. The optimized soil organic growing fertilizer of 50% vermicompost, 30% farmyard manure, and 20% soil (TC7) demonstrated significant advantages, including the highest water holding capacity, lowest bulk density, and improved water retention, facilitating root development and enhancing crop growth. Moreover, organic fertilizers such as VC and FYM showcased their potential as plant growth promoters by exhibiting optimal pH, electrical conductivity, and organic carbon content. These amendments provided essential nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), contributing to increased soil fertility and improved crop health. Additionally, the incorporation of VC into the soil organic growing fertilizer enriched secondary macronutrients and micronutrients, supporting vital plant growth processes. The paddy seedling biometric growth characteristics were found to be superior with soil-organic fertilizer mix treatment (TC 7 ) containing 50% vermicompost, 30% farmyard manure and 20% soil in trays. A maximum paddy seed germination of 94.00 ± 2.38%, paddy seedling height of 17.90 ± 1.88 cm, root shoot ratio of 0.89 ± 0.016, seedling vigour index of 1682.60 ± 122.58, biomass production of 0.484 ± 0.0011 g, and dry matter production of 0.0425 ± 0.0031 g were observed with TC 7 treatment. A maximum grain yield (4280 ± 452 kg/ha), highest grain to straw ratio (0.89 ± 0.0320) and maximum harvest index (0.47 ± 0.0210) were achieved in the crop production using TC 7 treatment. Implementing the recommended soil-organic fertilizers in paddy farming can contribute to a sustainable and high-quality crop production system, supporting the goals of Indian agriculture.