Nutrient Analysis of Different Media Used for Nursery Production

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the Soil testing laboratory PLANTICA – Indian Academy of Rural Development, Dehradun during January – July 2023, which focused on the nutrient analysis of various growing media for nursery development. Growing media is a crucial component of nursery cultivation as it aids in the growth and development of plants. Different types of growing media are used, and one of them is soil-based media, which is a mixture of different materials with soil being the primary component. In this trial, a mixture of soil, sand, vermicompost, and cocopeat was used to create growing media with different ratios. In this experiment completely randomized design (CRD) was used, in which soil and sand were mixed together to form one treatment, while cocopeat and vermicompost were mixed with soil and sand in different ratios, resulting in a total of 13 treatments with 4 replications each. The treatments for this experiment were, as follows: T1 - soil, T2 - soil + sand (1:1), T3 - soil + sand + cocopeat (1:1:1), T4 - soil + sand + cocopeat (1:1:2), T5 - soil + sand + cocopeat (1:1:3), T6 - soil + sand + vermicompost (1:1:1), T7 - soil + sand + vermicompost (1:1:2), T8 - soil + sand + vermicompost (1:1:3), T9 - soil + sand + cocopeat + vermicompost (1:1:1:1), T10 - soil + sand + cocopeat  + vermicompost (1:1:1:3), T11 - soil + sand + cocopeat + vermicompost (1:1:2:1), and T12 - soil + sand + cocopeat + vermicompost (1:1:3:1). To analyse the nutritive value of the growing media, NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), organic carbon, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and water holding capacity were measured. The most suitable treatments for nursery n cultivation were found to be T9 (soil, sand, cocopeat, and vermicompost with a ratio of 1:1:1:1) and T11 (soil, sand, cocopeat, and vermicompost with a ratio of 1:1:1:3). These treatments had the perfect balance of soil, sand, vermicompost, and cocopeat, providing all the necessary nutrients required by the plants. T9 was particularly suitable for nursery beds due to its high phosphorus content, which is beneficial for root development. On the other hand, T11 was the best choice for growing media after transplanting the saplings as it contained a high nitrogen content, which promotes foliage development.