Evaluation of Growing Media and Chemical Treatment on the Seedling Growth of High Chill Peach

Abstract

The present study entitled “Evaluation of Growing Media and Dormancy Breaking Chemical on the Seedling Growth of High Chill Peach” was conducted at Dept. of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Horticulture Research Centre, G.B.P.U.A&T, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand during the year 2022-23. The experiments were carried out in Factorial Complete Randomized Design (FCRD) with 3 replications per treatment. Under seedling growth studies, the total numbers of treatment were 16 with 2 factors comprising of four growing media (soil: sand: FYM, soil: sand: vermicompost, soil: sand: cocopeat and soil: FYM: vermicompost: cocopeat) and four chemical treatments (control, GA3 @ 500 ppm, kinetin @ 50 ppm and thiourea @ 5000 ppm). In the experiment the maximum seedling length, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root length, root fresh weight and root dry weight was recorded in soil: FYM: vermicompost: cocopeat, GA3 @ 500 ppm and interaction M4C3 (soil: FYM: vermicompost: cocopeat + GA3 @ 500ppm) while the minimum values were recorded in soil: sand: cocopeat, control and M3C1.  Result from this study discovered that GA3 @ 500 ppm along with the growing media soil: FYM: vermicompost: cocopeat recorded the maximum seedling length, diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, shoot fresh weight and shoot dry weight which can be recommended for raising the rootstocks for the production of quality planting material of peach for seedling rootstock.