Microbial analysis of beejamrutham, jeevamrutham and panchagavya
The microbial population of Beejamrutham was analyzed and the high colony-forming units of total bacteria (102 ×10
6 CFU/mL), phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (58 × 10
5 CFU/mL), potassium-releasing bacteria (22 × 10
5 CFU/mL), actinobacteria (160 × 10
3 CFU/mL) and Yeast (50 × 10
3 CFU/mL) in Beejamrutham were observed on the day of preparation, with populations decreasing over the next four days as shown in Fig 1a.
This decline is attributed to nutrient depletion and the production of inhibitory substances during fermentation.
Devakumar et al. (2014) also reported similar findings, noting higher microbial populations on the day of Beejamrutham preparation followed by a decrease over time.
Different storage periods significantly influenced the microbial populations, including total bacteria, PSB, KRB, actinobacteria and yeasts in Jeevamrutham and the results are presented in Fig- 1b. The high populations of total bacteria, PSB, and KRB were recorded on the 10
th days post-preparation (DPP), peaking on the 14
th DPP (246 ×10
6 CFU/mL). Yeast populations decreased as Jeevamrutham matured, while actinobacteria peaked on the 4
th DPP (180 × 10
3 CFU/mL) and then declined. The steady increase in total bacterial, PSB, and KRB populations over time is attributed to the nutrient-rich composition of Jeevamrutham, including cow dung, cow urine, legume flour, jaggery, and fertile soil, which serve as initial inoculum and support microbial growth. Similar results, with higher beneficial microbial populations observed in Jeevamrutham between the 9
th and 12
th days after preparation (DPP), were reported by
Devakumar et al. (2014) and
Ram et al. (2018). Additionally,
Rameeza et al. (2016) recorded higher populations between the 10
th and 12
th DPP, while
Kulkarni and Gargelwar (2019) reported higher populations between the 8
th and 12
th DPP.
Different storage periods significantly affected the microbial community in Panchagavya, including total bacteria, PSB, KRB, Actinobacteria and yeasts. The Fig 1c shows a peak in total bacterial population on the 24
th DPP (120 × 10
6 CFU/mL), which then declined. Similar trends were observed for PSB, while KRB, Actinobacteria, and yeast populations increased with storage time. The presence of beneficial microorganisms like
Azospirillum,
Azotobacter,
Phosphobacteria,
Pseudomonas and
Lactobacillus in Panchagavya is attributed to its nutrient-rich constituents such as milk, curd, coconut water and cane juice, which foster microbial growth during fermentation. This fermentation process is enhanced by microorganisms in curd and accelerated by sugarcane juice and coconut water. Higher colony-forming units (CFU) in Panchagavya with increased storage were also reported by
Ram et al. (2018) and
Rameeza et al. (2016) and
Pathak and Ram (2013) noted more beneficial microorganisms under higher acidity, promoting a disease-suppressive soil environment. Among the three indigenous organic preparations the microbial populations followed the order Jeevamrutham> Panchagavya> Bheejamrutham. Similarly,
Jadhav et al. (2022) reported the highest microbial population in Jeevamrutham (19.1×10
8 CFU/ml) followed by Panchagavya (3.04 ×10
8 CFU/ml).
Biochemical properties of beejamrutham, jeevamrutham and panchagavya
The biochemical properties of Beejamrutham, Jeevamrutham, Panchagavya was assessed and results were presented in Table 1.
Jeevamrutham exhibited the highest concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA) at 18 µg mL
-1 and ascorbic acid at 0.4 mg mL
-1, compared to Beejamrutham with 12 µg mL
-1 GA and 0.34 mg mL
-1 ascorbic acid, followed by Panchagavya with 7.8 µg mL
-1 GA and 0.2 mg mL
-1 ascorbic acid. In contrast, Panchagavya recorded the highest amount of indole acetic acid (IAA) at 12.5 µg mL
-1, followed by Beejamrutham at 10.4 µg mL
-1 and Jeevamrutham at 8 µg mL
-1. Similar findings were reported by
Parvathi and Ushakumari (2017) and
Dhanoji et al. (2018), who also observed these biochemical properties in Panchagavya and Jeevamrutham. These results underscore the presence of essential macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins and growth-promoting substances like IAA and GA, as supported by
Sreenivasa et al. (2010);
Mathukia et al. (2023);
Orozco-Mosqueda et al. (2023).
Physico-chemical properties of beejamrutham, jeevamrutham and panchagavya
The mineral nutrient content of Beejamrutham, Jeevamrutham and Panchagavya are presented in Table 2.
The chemical composition of organic formulations such as Beejamrutham, Jeevamrutham and Panchagavya varies depending on the materials used, including cow dung, urine, milk and other ingredients, which can differ in quality based on cow breed and diet. Panchagavya stands out with higher levels of macro-nutrients, total sugars and both reducing and non-reducing sugars compared to Jeevamrutham and Beejamrutham. While both Panchagavya and Jeevamrutham exhibit slight acidity, Beejamrutham is slightly alkaline due to lime, cow dung and urine content. These formulations provide a rich source of nutrients, growth hormones, sugars and acids, supporting microbial growth and diverse populations. The acidity levels in Jeevamrutham and Panchagavya, influenced by ingredients like jaggery and milk products, do not hinder plant growth, as reported by
Chakraborty and Sarkar (2019) and
Parvathi and Ushakumari (2017), who noted the presence of essential nutrients and growth-promoting factors like IAA, GA and beneficial microorganisms in these formulations (
Natarajan 2007;
Sreenivasa et al. 2010).
Correlation analysis between the microbial population and physico-chemical and biochemical parameters in bheejamarutham, jeevamarutham and panchagavya
Correlation studies were conducted to understand the relationship between the microbial population and various physical, chemical and biochemical parameters in Bheejamarutham, Jeevamarutham and Panchagavya, with the results presented in the Fig 2.
Regardless of the indigenous organic preparation, the following consistent patterns were observed across all three preparations: Total bacteria and actinobacteria exhibited strong positive correlations with total nitrogen (r ≈1.0) in all preparations, suggesting their crucial role in nitrogen cycling (
Hayat et al., 2010). These microbial groups also showed moderate negative correlations with electrical conductivity (r ≈ -0.58), indicating a preference for environments with lower ionic concentrations. PSB and KRB displayed remarkably similar correlation patterns across all preparations. Both groups showed strong positive correlations with total sugars (r > 0.7), suggesting a preference for complex carbohydrates as energy sources. Interestingly, PSB showed only weak positive correlations with total phosphorus (r ≈ 0.14), while KRB’s correlation with total potassium varied slightly between preparations. This implies that nutrient availability alone may not be the primary determinant of these bacterial populations’ abundance (
Jaiswal et al., 2016). Yeast populations demonstrated strong positive correlations with growth promoters, specifically gibberellic acid (GA) and ascorbic acid (r ≈ 0.14 to 0.79). This relationship suggests that yeasts may either produce these compounds or thrive in their presence, potentially contributing to the plant growth-promoting effects of these organic preparations. Additionally, yeasts showed moderate positive correlations with organic carbon (OC) (r ≈ 0.79), indicating their involvement in carbon cycling within the preparations.
