Jeevamrit: A Sustainable Alternative to Chemical Fertilizers for Marigold (Tagetes erecta cv. Siracole) Cultivation under Mid-Hills of Himachal Pradesh

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Please find attached a PDF file containing the review comments.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The manuscript should be reviewed by an academic English editor aiming to ensure that ideas will be clearly and accurately communicated without errors in spelling. 

Author Response

Please see the attachemnt. Thank you

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The submitted manuscript presents the positive effect of a traditional organic amendment, Jeevamrit, on the yield and quality of Marigold, as compared to a chemical NPK fertilizer. However, the mechanism behind this positive effect is not well demonstrated. The manuscript does not sufficiently address what factors may have primarily limited plant yield and quality in the NPK treatment. This information is crucial for understanding the comparative performance of the treatments. Although the authors try to attribute the positive effect of Jeevamrit to soil microbial populations and nutrient availability, the lack of data on soil microbial diversity and activity limits the strength of the claims. Moreover, given the extremely high levels of available NPK in the soil, this explanation regarding nutrient availability is not entirely convincing. Is it possible that other nutrients (e.g, micronutrients) or pollutants play a role in the difference between the two treatments?

In the title, "Natural Farming", suggests a broad scope encompassing various aspects, such as tillage, pest control, fertilization, etc. Since the paper focuses solely on fertilization, the title shall be narrowed to more accurately reflect the scope of the study.

In the conclusion section, it would be helpful to describe the enhanced parameters as percentages, similar to the abstract. This revision can make the results more accessible and allow readers to better evaluate the effects of Jeevamrit compared to chemical NPK fertilizers.

Author Response

Please see the attachment. Thank you

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This manuscript investigates the effectiveness of the application of Jeevamrit in the cultivation of marigold, which is important for its role in reducing chemical residues and promoting more sustainable agricultural systems. Overall, I agree to the publication of this manuscript. However, some details need to be noted and some revisions are required before publication.

Table 1: what is the unit for EC? What is the mean of the References?

Figure 1: There is no need for this figure to exist. And what is the composition and source of each raw material, and what is the nutrient content of the final product.

Figure 2: This picture is a bit ugly, please check other published articles.

Formula: Please number all formulas.

Table: 7：Table7

Himalayan Region: There is nothing about this area in the text. There is no necessity about doing in this area. I suggest deleting it.

2.55 mg/g: Please unify the format of the unit, either with/or -1.

This manuscript is rich in data and practical. Although there are some small problems, it does not affect its publication.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

85  in 100

Author Response

Please see the attachment. Thank you

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for your response to my previous comments. However, there is a discrepancy between your response and the revised manuscript. In your response 1, you write that "we have conducted further analysis to examine the role of micronutrients and pollutants in influencing plant yield and quality" and that "Our revised results show that Jeevamrit application is associated with increased levels of certain micronutrients (e.g., boron and zinc) and decreased levels of pollutants (e.g., heavy metals) in the soil."

However, upon reviewing the revised manuscript, I noticed that the data on micronutrients and pollutants are not presented. 

Author Response

Comment: Thank you for your response to my previous comments. However, there is a discrepancy between your response and the revised manuscript. In your response 1, you write that "we have conducted further analysis to examine the role of micronutrients and pollutants in influencing plant yield and quality" and that "Our revised results show that Jeevamrit application is associated with increased levels of certain micronutrients (e.g., boron and zinc) and decreased levels of pollutants (e.g., heavy metals) in the soil."

However, upon reviewing the revised manuscript, I noticed that the data on micronutrients and pollutants are not presented. 

Response: Thank you for your comment. You are correct that our manuscript does not include data on micronutrients and pollutants. We are investigating these parameters, along with other additional factors, in our ongoing research and plan to include them in our next publication. Adding this data to the current manuscript would make it overly dense, as it already contains substantial information. In this manuscript, we focused on the impact of Jeevamrit on crop yield and related parameters, including soil N, P, K, and microbial diversity, as well as plant N, P, and K uptake

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 3

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you.