Abstract
Experiment conducted on the seed germination, seedling growth and vigour of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) revealed that there were significant differences in germination and seedling growth behaviour of nutmeg seeds sown in twenty one different combination of growth media. The results showed germination characters like early germination, germination percentage, germination index and earliness index were maximum in the treatment T16 containing soil: coir dust: sand: vermicompost in 1:1:1:1: as the media followed by T13 soil: coir dust: sand: FYM 1:1:1:1. Similarly the seedling growth characters like seedling height, girth, number of leaves, shoot length, root length and plant biomass were highest in the treatment media of T16 (soil: coir dust: sand: vermicompost 1:1:1:1) which reflected on higher vigour index in the same treatment. Key words: FYM, nutmeg, germination, seedling growth, vermicompost, coir dust.
Highlights
Nutmeg, (Myristica fragrans) is one of the important tree spices of the world
There was a significant difference observed in the days taken for initiation of germination among all the treatments and the earliest germination was recorded in T16 (42.10 days) which was on par with T13 (44.32 days) (Table 2)
The treatment T16 was found to be best followed by T13 with regard to germination behaviour as these media have suitable physical properties and good water holding capacity that supports the germination of nutmeg seeds (Table 1)
Summary
The tree yields two products of commercial value namely nutmeg seed and the mace which is the aril covering the seed. Oil of nutmeg is useful in the treatment of inflammation of the bladder and urinary tract, halitosis, dyspepsia, flatulence, impotence, insomnia and skin diseases. It is used externally as a stimulant and the ointment as a counterirritant (Krishnamoorthy and Rema, 2001). Seed is the common propagating material in nutmeg; the serious problems in the cultivation are dioecious nature, unpredictability of the sex at seedling stage and high cross pollination. Keeping the influence of media in germination and seedling growth of nutmeg, the present investigation was carried out to study the effect of different media on seed germination, seedling growth and vigour of nutmeg with the help of locally available media under Kerala conditions of India
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