Media Topsoil Research Articles

Effect of media on the percentage of Cratoxylum arborescens cutting

Gerunggang (Cratoxylum arborescens Blume.) is one of native peat swamp species which good potential for pulp material and rehabilitation. One factor affecting the success of vegetative propagation is rooting media. The objectived of this study was observed the suitability of four rooting medium for gerunggang cuttings i.e: river sand, mixture of peat+ rice husk (3:1), mixture of top soil+rice husk (3:1), and mixture of cocopeat+rice husk (2:1). A number of 20 gerunggang cuttings with 4 replication were tested at four rooting media during 16 weeks observation period. Some parameter were observed i.e: number of shoots, leaves and roots per cutting, length of primary root (cm), rooting speed, rooted percentage (%), and survival percentage (%). Different rooting media significantly affect (p<0.01) on number of buds per cutting and length of primary root. However, the type of rooting media did not significantly affect (p>0.05) to the number of leaves and roots per cutting, rooted percentage (%) and survival percentage (%). High rooting percentage was achieved by media topsoil+ricehusk with average of 67.50%, while the lowest percentage was obtained peat+ricehusk medium with average of 38.75%. A mixture of topsoil+rice husks (3:1) is a best medium for early growth of gerunggang cutting which indicate by best number of buds, leaves and roots per cutting, rooted percentage (%) and survival percentage (%). Survival rate of cutting in this research is ranging from 56.25% - 77.50%.

Effects of seed provenance and growth media on the growth performance of Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.

This work investigated the effects of seed provenance and growth media on the growth performance of Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn. Seeds were extracted from fresh fruits collected from Eruwa, Saki and New-Bussa and sown into six media in black polythene pots: top soil + sawdust (1:1); river sand + top soil (1:1); river sand + sawdust (1:1); top soil only; sawdust only and river sand. The experiment was 3 x 6 factorial laid in a Completely Randomized Design. Germination, seedling height, collar diameter, number of leaves and leaf area were evaluated. Data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at p&lt;0.05). Seeds from New-Bussa sown on river sand + top soil (1:1) had the highest germination percentage (92%) while the seeds from Saki sown on top soil only had the least of 74.7%. River sand + top soil medium had the longest seedling growth with 5.41 cm; also rated second in collar diameter (4.07 mm) and leaf area index (47.95 cm2). Thus, top soil based medium, especially river sand + top soil is recommended for good growth performance of this species collected from any of the three provenances.Keywords: Pseudo–radicle, germination, seed source, seedling vigour, traits.

The effects of several planting media on the red jabon (Anthocephalus macrophyllus (Roxb.) Havil) growth

Forest plantation establishment covers not only in the areas with optimum conditions but also in the marginal land areas. The selection of appropriate tree species is required when the plantation will be established in the marginal areas. This study aimed to determine the effects of several planting media, which is similar to the condition of the marginal/extreme conditions, on the growth of red jabon seedlings. The trials were conducted in a factorial complete randomized design with two tested factors, i.e., planting media (M) and watering conditions (P), in which each factor has three levels. The first factor consists of topsoil medium (M1) as control, subsoil ultisol + topsoil medium (M2), and sandy soil + topsoil medium (M3); while the second factor consists of: watered with tap water (P1), watered with salted-water (P2), and waterlogged condition (P3). The best growth response was shown by the red jabon seedlings, which were planted in the subsoil ultisol + topsoil with a waterlogged condition (M2P3). The growth response of red jabon seedlings in the M2 treatment was similar (2.35 cm height, 0.26 mm diameter) and was not significantly different from the control (2.36 cm height, 0.26 mm diameter). The waterlogged condition (2.6 cm height, 0.28 mm diameter) also resulted in similar growth response to the control treatment (2.39 cm height, 0.29 mm diameter). The sandy soils and salted-watering conditions showed inferior growth responses compare to the other treatments. Thus, the seedlings showed its preference both to the fertile topsoil and subsoil ultisol media with adequate to high moisture levels rather than sandy medium with salted-watering conditions.

Early Growth Response of Irvingia gabonensis Seedlings to Cowdung and NPK Fertilizer Application

Plants, unlike animals are naturally able to synthesize whatever compounds they need, require more than a dozen different elements [majorly Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK)] as such. This study investigated the effect(s) of application of cow dung (CD) and NPK fertilizer on the early growth response of Irvingia gabonensis. Top soil samples of between 0 – 15 cm depth (control group I), top soil + NPK (Group II), top soil + cow dung (Group III) and top soil + NPK + cow dung (Group IV) were collected at varying combinations. The soils were then taken to the laboratory for physio-chemical analysis of key components [pH, N, P, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, Org. C, sand, silt and clay]. Prior to and after actual experimentation, the N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, pH constituents of the cow dung were also analysed. For every two weeks (in twenty weeks duration) after application, plant heights, leaf area, number of leaf, stem girth were obtained and noted. By way of a sensitive weighing machine, 20 WAP destructive sampling was conducted to determine the weights of the shoot and root after oven-drying for three days in an oven sets at 75°C. In any case, these samples were then analysed for the nutrient content of the stem, root and leaf. Following data collection, comparisons of mean differences was performed using the Fishers protected least significant test and Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of probability. Upon careful observation of result, study found that Irvingia gabonensis seedlings grown with cow-dung and NPK combination (Group IV) performed better in growth (height, diameter and leaf area) than seedlings grown in only top soil medium (TS) with single fertilizer use (Group II). However, NPK 3 CD 3, NPK 3 CD 2 and NPK 2 CD 3 best support the early growth phase of Irvingia gabonensis seedlings as compared to others. Study therefore showed Cow dung to contain substantial amount of essential elements that may be beneficial for the physio-chemical growth of Irvingia wombolu seedlings and combating reports of deforestations across the globe. It is recommended that for better results, cow-dung and NPK mixtures should be used than single use of the either treatments. Further studies aimed at corroborating this research are also recommended.

Propagation and seedling growth of some species used as ornamental hedges in landscape design

Propagation and seedling growth characteristics of five plant species: Duranta repens (Yellow bush), Hamelia patens (Fire bush), Ficus retusa (Yellow ficus), Buxus sempervirens (Boxwood / West indies) and Acalypha wilkesiana (Copper leaf), were examined in the nursery as indices of suitability for use as hedge plants in the landscape. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replicates where the treatments were the plant species. Cuttings were cultivated in polyethylene pots filled with top soil medium. Data collected included: time to rooting, rooting percentage, number of leaves/plant, seedling height and stem girth. They were subjected to analysis of variance and means separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD) at 5% probability level. It took Acalypha wilkesiana , Duranta repens and Hamelia patens species shortest time (21 days) to root while Buxus sempervirens and Ficus retusa took the longest time (28 days) for rooting. Duranta repens species produced the highest rooting percentage (80.5%) at 28 days after planting and the highest number of leaves/plant (15leaves). This study revealed Duranta repens as the easiest to propagate among these species. All plant species evaluated except Ficus retusa are easily propagated in the nursery thus indicating their potential suitability for commercial production in the nursery and use as hedge plants. Duranta repens and Buxus sempervirens are recommended as hedge plant choices based on their ease of propagation and early establishment.

Influence of Vermicast on Early Growth of Black Afara (&lt;i&gt;Terminaliaivorensis&lt;/i&gt; A. Chev.) Seedlings

This study assessed the effect of vermicast on the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis A.Chev. (Black Afara) seedlings which belongs to the family Combretaceae. Seedlings were raised on Vermicast (100%), Vermicast + Topsoil (1:1,) and topsoil media. There were three (3) treatments, replicated four (4) times and laid in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The experiment was monitored for 12 weeks and the following variables were assessed, plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), leaf production and the leaf area (cm2 ). Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results revealed that the seedling growth parameters measured were not significantly affected by the vermicast treatments at 5% probability level, except plant height. The best performance was observed in the seedlings raised with T2 (Vermicast + Topsoil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 28.55cm, 0.55mm, 18.25 and 38.87cm2 respectively while the least performance was recorded in T3 (100% top soil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 22.06cm, 0.49mm, 15.25 and 49.72cm2 respectively. It is therefore recommended that 50% vermicast should be used to improve the growth media in order to enhance the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis seedlings at the nursery stage.Keywords: Vermicast, Terminalia ivorensis, Early Growth, Seedlings

KOMPOSISI MEDIA TANAM PADA PEMBIBITAN TANAMAN KARET (Hevea brasiliensis)

The purpose of this reseach was to determine the composition of the right planting media for the growth of rubber plant seeds. This research was conducted for 3 (three) months The State Agricultural Polytechnic at Samarinda. This reseach consists of three levels of media composition treatment namely 75% top soil media and 25% sand (m1), 50% top soil media and 50% sand (m2) and 25% top soil soil media and 75% sand (m3) ). The composition of the planting media of top soil 50% and 50% sand gives better results to the growth of plant height and number of leaves compared to the treatment of the composition of other planting media, namely the composition of the top soil media 75% and 25% sand and the treatment of top soil planting media 25% and 75% sand.

Cocopeat as Soil Substitute Media for Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg.) Planting Material

To establish rubber plantations smallholders in South Sumatra, Indonesia, plant materials are planted in polybags fi lled with top soil media from the local area. Good quality media is very important to ensure optimal growth of the rubber planting materials. The availability of top soil has become increasingly limited. In order to fulfi ll the need of planting media, cocopeat, which is available in abundance in the area, can potentially be an alternative to top soil. Cocopeat can potentially be used alone, or in combination with other type of media. In this study, cocopeat was mixed with soil at several mixture ratios to determine the best formula of cocopeat based planting media for rubber planting material. The study was conducted from August 2016 to January 2017 in the Nursery of Sembawa Research Centre Experimental Field, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. A completely randomized design was employed with six combinations of cocopeat and soil, replicated three times. This study showed that the best mixture ratio is 80% cocopeat and 20% soil, whereas 100% soil or 100% cocopeat is not recommended. The use of cocopeat as planting media should be followed by balanced fertilization in order to provide nutrients that are not available in cocopeat.

Respon Pertumbuhan Bibit Mangrove Rhizophora Apiculata B1 pada Media Tanah Topsoil

This study aims to determine the growth of mangrove seedlings grown on soil top soil media. Mangrove seeds obtained from the community around the mangrove forest in Taluak Buo Bungus, Padang. This study used experimental method using Completely Randomized Design (RAL) consisting of 4 treatments and 6 replications. Treatment A as a control using land taken from the mangrove forest area of Taluak Buo Bungus, Padang. Treatment B using 100% topsoil soil, Soil top soil treatment (70%) plus cow manure. Treatment of soil top soil (70%) with the addition of chicken manure. Growth factor to be observed in this research is the growth of stem and number of leaves, then also calculated stem diameter ratio at all treatment. The results showed that the treatment on seed height and number of leaves was significantly different with the control, while for the number of different leaves were not real.

Accelerating the growth of red meranti (Shorea leprosula) wildlings by utilizing better topsoil media from under mother trees and optimum tending duration in a simple greenhouse

Accelerating the growth of red meranti (Shorea leprosula) wildlings by utilizing better topsoil media from under mother trees and optimum tending duration in a simple greenhouse

The effects of organic planting medium on growth and root formation of tea seedling at early stage of tea nursery

Tea plants commonly propagated through vegetative propagation using single node leaf cutting and planting on mixed of topsoil and subsoil. From time to time, it is difficult to get suitable soil for nursery and the activity could disturb ecosystem. In addition, the medium weight would become a constraint in transporation of tea seedling. To overcome these problems, an alternative planting medium of tea seedling has to be explored to reduce the use of soil. In this research, various organic materials have been tested to know their effect on growth and root formation of tea seedling at early stage of tea nursery. The experiment arranged in a complete randomized design with nine treatments, replicated three times. Treatments tested were combination of organic matter (cocopith, rice husk, sawdust, and peat soil) with top soil (15% and 25%). Cow dung, as organic fertilizer, was added to enrich planting medium. Results shows that cocopith, rice husk, sawdust, and peat soil enriched with cow dung resulted the same with top soil medium (convensional planting medium) on growth and root formation of tea seedlings at early stage of tea nursery.

Effects of organic medium on growth and root formation of Cinchona ledgeriana Moens planting material at early stage of nursery

Cinchona plants commonly propagated through vegetative propagation using grafting between scion and rootstocks and planting on mixed of top soil and sub soil. To overcome these problems, an alternative planting medium of cinchona seedling has to be explored to re­duce the use of soil. In this research, various organic materials have been tested to see their effect on growth and root formation of cinchona seedling at early stage of cinchona nursery. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete design (RCD) with 17 treatments, each treatment consists 20 plants/replication. Treatments tested were combination of organic matter (cocopith, rice husk, sawdust and peat soil) with top soil (15% and 25%). Cow dung or seaweed, as organic fertilizer was added to enrich planting medium. Results shows that co­copith, rice husk, sawdust and peat soil en­riched with cow dung or seaweed has no signi­ficance difference with top soil medium (con­ventional planting medium) on plants living percentage, plants height, leaves number and, stem diameter of cinchona seedlings at early stage of cinchona nursery comparing with the conventional way. On plants heights and leaves number, there are significant difference caused by the treatment during three months after plantings. The number of rooting plants in bet­ween 33% up to 100%. In general, plants re­generation and compatibility between scion and rootstock of cinchona tested plants shows that the cell regeneration or cell growths are well and there is no sign on incompatibility between scion and rootstock.

Rooting, growth and sustainability of yellow Ficus (&lt;i&gt;Ficus retusa&lt;/i&gt; ‘Nitida’) as affected by growth media under nursery conditions

A greater percentage of yellow ficus ( Ficus retusa ‘Nitida’) seedlings die out at the nursery production stage as they can be stressed easily. Rooting time is slow (30-60 DAP) and any disturbance in the root system could be fatal. Some die without any reason. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the rooting, growth and sustainability of yellow ficus in varying growth media to determine the efficient growth media for its propagation. A cutting of yellow ficus each with eight (8) nodes was planted per black polythene nursery bag each filled with different growth media. The growth media utilised were: topsoil alone, sawdust alone, topsoil + cow dung (4:1), topsoil + poultry manure (4:1), cow dung + sawdust (1:4), sawdust + poultry manure + topsoil (1:1:3) and sawdust + cow dung + topsoil (1:1:3). The experimental design was Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Significantly (P sawdust alone (15.18, 12.78) > sawdust + cow dung + topsoil (1:1:3) (8.35, 6.80) > topsoil + cow dung (4:1), (8.79, 4.71) > topsoil + poultry manure (4:1) (5.24., 4.65) > cow dung + sawdust (1:4) (3.00, 3.36) at both plantings. The growth medium Sawdust + cow dung + topsoil (1:1:3) significantly (at P topsoil alone (0.12, 0.13); > topsoil + cow dung (4:1) (0.11, 0.12) > topsoil + poultry manure (4:1) (0.11, 0.10). Significant growth media influences on the number of branches and branch lengths of this plant were observed. Sawdust + cow dung + topsoil (1:1:3) medium most favorably supported establishment and sustenance of yellow ficus plants. Keywords : Ficus, Potting media, response, seedlings, sustenance, vegetative growth.

Improving regeneration of mahogany: techniques for vegetative propagation of four African mahogany species using leafy stem cuttings

Regeneration to ensure sustainable production and conservation of mahogany species globally is considered very important to foresters, investors in plantation, conservationists and timber industries worldwide. Natural regeneration of the mahoganies has been found to be far less than the rate of exploitation hence strong efforts are being made to develop other methods to regenerate mahogany seedlings to augment the low natural replacement and to ensure sustainability. This study was commissioned to investigate the effect of rooting media (river-sand, top soil and a mix of the two (50:50 v/v) on the rooting ability of four mahogany species (Khaya grandifoliola, K. ivorensis, Entandrophragma angolense and E. utile) using non-mist propagators. We investigated the effects of the source of stem cutting within a shoot (top, middle and basal position) on the rooting ability of stem cuttings from the four species in river-sand. Roots per cutting, longest root length and rooting percentage differed significantly among species in all three rooting media. Rooting ability was greatest in K. grandifoliola, which exhibited the highest average rooting percentage (73 %), longest average single root (9.9 mm) and the most roots per cutting (4.9). Rooting percentage was higher in the Khaya species than in the Entandrophragma species in all three rooting media. The mixed medium had the highest rooting percentage and the highest number of roots per rooted cutting in the two Khaya species, while the topsoil media had the best rooting percentage in the Entandrophragma species. Rooting of the two Khaya species can be maximized using a mixture of river-sand and topsoil. Cutting position within a shoot had significant impact on rooting in all four species with rooting percentage being best from middle positions in all four species. However, length of longest root and the number of roots per rooted cutting varied between the middle and basal portions. The study provides useful information for vegetative propagation of leafy stem cutting of the four African mahogany species, which could contribute to regeneration and conservation of these important timber species in the tropics.

Evaluation of River Sand as a Medium for Raising Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao L.) Seedlings

A nursery experiment was conducted between November, 2011 and May, 2012 at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana to investigate the effect of using river sand and river sand-topsoil mixture on cocoa seedlings. Treatments tested were sole topsoil, sole river sand, river sand + foliar fertilizer (Sidalco liquid fertilizer, NPK-10:10:10), river sand + topsoil (1:1) and river sand + topsoil mixture (1:1) + foliar fertilizer. The results showed that sole topsoil retained more moisture and supported significantly taller seedlings. The river sand-topsoil mixture + foliar fertilizer seedlings had higher chlorophyll content and was more photosynthetically efficient thus resulting in significantly (P<0.05) larger stem diameter than all other treatments. Stem volume of seedlings in the river sand + topsoil +foliar fertilizer were also not different from those found in the sole topsoil medium. There were positive correlations between moisture retention and chlorophyll content of the seedlings. Chlorophyll content was found to be positively correlated to stem diameter and height gain by the seedlings. It was therefore concluded that cocoa seedlings can be raised in polybags filled with a mixture of river sand and topsoil (1:1) for a period of six months provided foliar fertilizer is applied at the rate of 10 mls NPK (10:10:10) in 15 litres of water at bi-weekly intervals.

PENGARUH MEDIA ORGANIK TERHADAP INDEKS MUTU BIBIT CENDANA

The quality of Santalum album seedling is influenced by growing media where their root grow and develop. This research was conducted to confirm that organic growing media is a good characteristics as top soil media and to determine the quality index value as indicator of seedling quality. There types of media; top soil, composted sawdust and pure sawdust were arranged in a completely randomized design with 4 replicates of 5 seeds. The observation periode was 8 month, from January until September 2007. The resuly showed that index value for S, album seedling in organic media is as relatively high as in top soil media; 1,42 for top soil, 1,10 for composted sawdust and 1,08 for pure sawdust.

PENGARUH MEDIA ORGANIK TERHADAP INDEKS MUTU BIBIT CENDANA

The quality of Santalum album seedling is influenced by growing media where their root grow and develop. This research was conducted to confirm that organic growing media is a good characteristics as top soil media and to determine the quality index value as indicator of seedling quality. There types of media; top soil, composted sawdust and pure sawdust were arranged in a completely randomized design with 4 replicates of 5 seeds. The observation periode was 8 month, from January until September 2007. The resuly showed that index value for S, album seedling in organic media is as relatively high as in top soil media; 1,42 for top soil, 1,10 for composted sawdust and 1,08 for pure sawdust.

Effect of nitrogen, potassium and media on the growth and flowering of marigold (&lt;i&gt;Tagetes erecta &lt;/i&gt; L.)

A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of nitrogen, potassium and media on the growth and flowering of marigold ( Tagetes erecta L.). The experiment was conducted as a 4 x 4 x 2 factorial laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications. The treatments comprised four rates of nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150ppm N), four rates of potassium (0, 50, 100 and 150ppm K) and two media (9:1 ricehull: river sand and 3:2 topsoil : riversand). Topsoil medium produced a higher shoot dry weight and a wider plant canopy than the ricehull medium. In the topsoil medium, at all nitrogen levels, 50ppm K that produced the highest shoot and root dry weight also produced the highest flower diameter. Shoot dry weight, root dry weight and number of flowers were highest at 100ppm K for all nitrogen levels in the ricehull medium. The number of days to 50% flower bud initiation and anthesis was shorter in ricehull medium than topsoil medium. The results showed that with the availability of 150ppm nitrogen in the media, 50ppm K and 100ppm K in topsoil and ricehull media, respectively was sufficient for the production of pot marigold. Keywords : Nitrogen, potassium, growth media, marigold, Tagetes erecta > Agro-Science Vol. 6 (1) 2007: pp. 46-55

The impact of biomass harvesting on phosphorus uptake by wetland plants

Two species of macrophytes, Baumea articulata and Schoenoplectus mucronatus, were examined for their capacity to remove phosphorus under nutrient-rich conditions. Forty large bucket systems with the two different species growing in two types of substrate received artificial wastewaters for nine months, simulating a constructed wetland (CW) under high loading conditions. Half of the plants growing in the topsoil and gravel substrates were periodically harvested whereas the other half remained intact. Plant tissue and substrate samples were regularly analysed to determine their phosphorus concentrations. With respect to phosphorus uptake and removal, the Schoenoplectus in the topsoil medium performed better than the Baumea. Biomass harvesting enhanced P uptake in the Schoenoplectus, however the effect was not significant enough to make an improvement on the overall P removal, due to the slow recovery of plants and regrowth of biomass after harvesting. From P partitioning, it was found that the topsoil medium was the major P pool, storing most of total P present in the system. Plant parts contributed only minor storage with approximately half of that P stored below ground in the plant roots. The overall net effect of harvesting plant biomass was to only remove less than 5% of total phosphorus present in the system.

Establishment of Prairie Forbs and Grasses after Production in Compacted Media

Native prairie plants are believed to grow better in compacted soils than traditional bedding plants. We used 10 species of forbs and grasses to test the hypothesis that establishment in the field would be improved by greenhouse production of seedlings in compacted media and in topsoil as opposed to a peat-based medium. Media were compacted by applying 50 g·cm–2 while filling cells in a tray. Uncompacted controls were simply loose-filled. The seedlings were transplanted into plots that were untilled or tilled. Plants were photographed with a digital camera at different stages and the images were analyzed by computer to estimate growth non-destructively. At the time of transplanting estimated area per seedling was 15 to 140% higher for plants grown in compacted media than in uncompacted for 10 out of 13 species. Preliminary observations indicated that differences between plants from compacted and uncompacted media persisted in the field and that plants grew better in the tilled plots than in untilled. Seedling area was similar after production in topsoil or peat medium and there was no overall difference in the field. Plants from seedlings produced in topsoil were larger than those from peat-based medium in untilled plots but the converse was true for plants in tilled plots.