Evaluation of Bio-inoculants Enriched Marginal Soils as Potting Mixture in Coffee Nursery

Shiva Prasad P Hareesh Sb

doi:10.4172/2155-6202.1000148

Abstract

Fertile jungle soil is a primary ingredient of potting mixture used in coffee nursery to raise healthy, vigorous seedlings and in recent times its availability has diminished due to the receding forest lands in traditional coffee cultivating areas. Hence a nursery trial was conducted with the objective of exploring the possibility of utilizing marginal or less fertile soils enriched with bio-inoculants in the potting mixture. Two soils, (soil-1 and soil-2), which are less fertile and marginal in characteristics compared to the jungle soil enriched with bio-inoculants consortia of Azosprillum, Pseudomonas flurosence, Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria (PSB) and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrihiza (VAM) were employed in the secondary nursery to raise coffee seedlings and monitored for growth parameters, nutrient uptake, soil nutrient status and colony forming units for about 200 days after sowing. The results of the study indicated that the recommended Standard Package of Practice (SPP) with jungle soil, Farm Yard Manure (FYM) and sand in the 6:2:1 proportion is a best suited potting mixture to raise the coffee nursery. But in absence of the fertile jungle soil, the marginal soils also can be utilized as an ingredient of potting mixture with due care to incorporate adequate quantity of farm yard manure and the microbial consortia is not a substitute for FYM in the potting mixture.

Highlights

Raising vigorous and healthy coffee seedlings in the nursery is a must for establishing superior coffee plantation in a long run
T1 – Soil 1 or Soil 2 only T2 –Standard package of practice (SPP) [Jungle soil, farm yard manure (FYM) and sand in the ratio of 6:2:1] T3 – T2 + Consortia (100 g) T4 - Soil 1 / Soil 2: Farm Yard Manure (FYM): Sand - (4: 2: 3) T5 – Soil 1 / Soil 2 (4): Consortia (50 g): Sand (3) T6 – Soil 1 / Soil 2 (4): Consortia (100 g): Sand (3) T7 - Soil 1 / Soil 2 (4): Consortia (150 g): Sand (3) Nursery was maintained under shade net and as per the existing package of practice all the necessary plant pest and disease care practices were followed strictly
The growth of the seedlings receiving treatments T5, T6 and T7 was poor compared to the seedlings under T2, T3 T4. These observations are in lines of the results reported by Glory Swarupa, [4] who found significant increase in growth of coffee seedlings when treated with Azospirillum, Phosphobacteria and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrihiza (VAM)

Summary

Introduction

Raising vigorous and healthy coffee seedlings in the nursery is a must for establishing superior coffee plantation in a long run. The recommended Standard Package of Practice (SPP) for coffee nursery includes a primary sowing bed prepared using the fertile jungle soil and mixture of jungle soil, Farm Yard Manure (FYM) and sand in the ratio of 6:2:1 [1] for the poly bag/secondary nursery. Nowadays due to dwindling of forest lands in the traditional coffee growing areas and various other associated problems, procuring of fertile jungle soil in large quantity to raise the nursery is not an easy task. Under such a situation the farmers are compelled to use the available marginal/ less fertile soils for raising nursery which in turn will result into weak and unhealthy seedlings. An effort was made to improve the marginal soils by enriching with bio-inoculants and a nursery trial was conducted to study the possibility of utilizing these enriched soils in potting mixture

Methods

Results

Conclusion