Effects of Planting Medium on the Propagation of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) from Cuttings and Seeds

Abstract

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) has a great potential to be cultivated as a fruit crop in North Sumatra. In order to cultivate loquat, the availability of high-quality seedlings is becoming an essential factor. This research was aimed to determine the response of loquat’s seed, stem, and shoot cutting on various types of medium. The seed, stem, and shoots cutting of loquat were collected from North Sumatra. Three types of medium, i.e., humus + roasted rice husk (1:1), raw rice husk + sand (1:1), and humus + raw rice husk (1:1), were used during the experiment in Cibodas Botanical Garden. The results show that the highest percentage of seed germination on the 10th week after the plantation was humus + roasted rice husk (91.18%) and followed by humus + raw rice husk (77.78%) and raw rice husk + sand (69.44%). The combination of humus + roasted rice husk gave a significant effect on plant high (9.178a cm), the number of leaves (5.51a), length of leaves (8.36a), and width of leaves (3.78a) on the 12th week after plantation. Moreover, there were no significant differences between shoot cutting and stem cutting propagation on parameters survival rate and the number of buds. Keywords: cutting, Eriobotrya japonica, planting medium, propagation, seed