Seed germination and seedling growth as pretentious by various growing media in Red Lady-786 papaya

Abstract

Carica papaya is a significant fruit crop solely grown from seeds for commercial purposes. Atmosphere, temperature, water, light, and substrate utilized are some of the variables that might affect a seed's ability to germinate. Papaya seed germination is frequently described as unpredictable, sluggish and partial. For papaya growers, increasing the degree of germination to en-hance the production of healthier seedlings is a challenge owing to the higher seed cost. The present experiment aimed to determine the effect of various growing media combinations in Red Lady-786 using a completely randomized design (CRD). The experiment comprised nine treatment combinations. Four different growing media: soil, vermicompost, coco peat and perlite were used in different treatment combinations viz. T1: control; T2: soil + vermicompost (80% + 20%); T3: soil + vermicompost (60% + 40%); T4: soil + vermicompost + cocopeat (80%+10%+10%); T5: soil + vermicompost + cocopeat (60%+20%+20%); T6: soil + vermicompost + perlite (80%+10%+10%); T7: soil + vermicompost + perlite (60%+20%+20%); T8: soil + vermicompost + cocopeat + perlite (70%+10%+10%+10%+10%) and T9: soil + vermicompost + cocopeat + perlite (40%+20%+20%+20%). T9 was the most significant combination for early germination among all the treatment combinations. The application of T9 recorded maximum root length (7.70 cm), maximum shoot length (13.35 cm), maximum per cent initiation of germination (92.5%), high seed vigour (1947.75) and maximum height of the seedlings (21.05). The study revealed that for better germination and seedling growth, the application of treatment combination T9, which influenced the germination properties of papaya seedlings, can be exploited commercially.