Organic Manures, Biofertilizers and Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

India is endowed a rich wealth of medicinal and aromatic plants. More than 2000 species of medicinal plants have been recorded. Due to harmful side effect of chemical drugs there is good scope for medicinal and aromatic plants in ayurvedic, unani, and allopathic medicines. Ashwagandha is one of the most important medicinal plant. It is coined with two words viz. Aswini and Gandha. 'Ashwini' means horse, and 'Gandha' means ¿power¿. There is good demand for root, seed and leaves of ashwagandha, which is used in medicines. The root contain many alkaloids i.e. withanine, sominine, sominiferinine, pseudowithanine and withasominine (Pakkiyanthan et al., 2004). The fertilizer use in medicinal plants has only a recent history. Mostly the crops are grown by marginal farmers on relatively poor lands and invariably under stress conditions. By and large organic manures has remains the source of nutrient supply of these crops.