Effects of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Fertilizers on the Growth and Yield of Prunella vulgaris in Qichun County

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1005-6114.2025.06.012

Abstract：To screen the optimal application rates of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers for Prunella vulgaris, a three-factor multi-level fertilizer effect experimental design was adopted. The experiment set gradient concentrations of nitrogen (0, 8, 16, 24, 32 kg/667m²), phosphorus (0, 20, 40, 60 kg/667m²), and potassium (0, 10, 20, 33 kg/667m²) to analyze their effects on the growth and yield of Prunella vulgaris. The results showed that nitrogen fertilizer was the core regulatory factor. The N3 treatment (24 kg/667m²) achieved the highest inflorescence yield of 309.43 kg/667m², which was 77.6% higher than the control without nitrogen (P < 0.05). It also had the best plant height (67.39 cm), number of inflorescences per plant (230.86), and biomass. However, excessive nitrogen (N4) led to a 20.4% decrease in yield. Phosphorus fertilizer showed a threshold effect, with the P1 treatment (20 kg/667m²) achieving an inflorescence yield of 231.17 kg/667m², which was 11.3% higher than the control without phosphorus, while higher phosphorus rates did not significantly improve the yield. Potassium fertilizer had no significant effect on yield, but the K2 treatment (20 kg/667m²) increased the weight of inflorescences per plant by 21.3%, whereas the K3 treatment (33 kg/667m²) significantly reduced the width of inflorescences by 14.8%. In conclusion, the recommended optimized fertilizer rates are 16–24 kg/667m² of nitrogen, 20 kg/667m² of phosphorus, and 10–20 kg/667m² of potassium. The study results can provide a reference for standardized high-yield cultivation and efficient nutrient resource utilization of Prunella vulgaris in Qichun County.