Performance of Avenue Tree Species Grown Through Seedballs Encapsulated with Varying Soil Media Mixtures in Subtropical Climate of Punjab

Seeding an extensive wasteland requires an ideal environment for seeds to germinate in arid ecosystems. This investigation was conducted to study the performance of seedballs of avenuetree species encapsulated in different media mixtures for their germination potential and growth behavior at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during 2020–22. Seeds from five avenue tree species (Cassia fistula, Azadirachta indica, Schleichera oleosa, Pongamia pinnata and Putranjiva roxburghii) were encapsulated. These seedballs were sown onthree different datesviz.15^th July, 15^th August and 15^th September. In all sowing date, Azadirachta indica seedballs encapsulated in soil + cocopeat (1:1, v/v) exhibited maximum germination percentage (90, 89.67 and 78 %). Cassia fistula seed balls encapsulated in soil + cocopeat germinated earliest (7.35, 9.18 and 11.25 days, respectively) with maximum plant height (39.51, 40.35 and 38.12 cm), higher leaf area (73.11, 75.28 and 71.67 cm²) and highestsurvival percentage (47.33, 50.67 and 41.33%). The seedball encapsulated in mixture of soil+cocopeat (1:1, v/v) created an ideal micro-environmental condition for seed germination for these tree species and can be utilized them for the restoration of degraded landscapes and wastelands.