Influence of Azolla as organic compost on cultivation of Sarpagandha Plants

Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex. Kurz.), a well known medicinal plant of family: Apocynaceae is used in therapeutics worldwide since ancient times. In present study, sarpagandha plants were treated with different doses of Azolla compost. After 400 days of cultivation, sarpagandha plants were studied for dry matter yield and chlorophyll contents. Azolla showed remarkable increase in dry matter yield as well as chlorophyll contents of sarpagandha. In culture medium, the effect of Azolla organic compost on the growth and composition of sarpagandha plants grown on soil-pot was analyzed that proved that in future, Azolla can be used as better source of organic compost for cultivation of medicinal plants.