Study of the effect of microbial addition in seed germination and seedling growth of Cryptocarya densiflora L

Abstract

Cryptocarya densiflora L belongs to the Lauraceae family that is famous for its utilization of its leaves, stems, roots, and fruit. These species are also widely spread. The hardness of its seed coats inhibits its germination. Various efforts to accelerate the germination process by immersion in water or chemicals have done. However, the application of microbes has never been reported. Naturally, C. densiflora seeds fall to the ground directly in contact with soil microbes that might play a significant role in the germination process. This research aims to reveal the effect of inoculants’ application originated from soil microbes, Aspergillus niger, and natural microbial consortia in germination and growth of seedling C. densiflora. The experiments employed a completely randomized design using two main treatments, the inoculant formula, and the growing media. Inoculant formula factors consist of Formula 1 (A. niger), Formula 2 (microbial consortia), and Control, while the growing media consists of 3 types, A (soil and sand/1:1), B (soil, sand, and compost/1:1:1), and C (sand). All growing media were treated with 2 different treatments, sterilized (S) and non-sterilized (N). The growth stage was observed for 12 weeks after sowing with the following observed parameters: pH of the media at the end of the experiment, the percentage of sprout growth, plant height, number of leaves, root length, wet and dry weight of roots, and shoots. The results showed that the addition of microbial inoculant significantly affected the germination of C. densiflora seeds in all parameters measured, both for media A and B (sterile and non-sterile). Formula 1 gave the best results on all media, especially sterile media with parameters of plant height, number of leaves, root length, wet and dry weight of roots and shoots. The presence of microbes significantly affected germination and C. densiflora seedling growth.