Effect of different growing media on seed germination and growth of Indian lac tree (Schleichera oleosa) in nursery conditions

Present study was conducted to test the effect of different growing media on Schleichera oleosa seeds. The experiment was carried out at the Forest Tree Laboratory, Dehradun, Uttarakhand during 2019-20. The seeds of S oleosa were collected from 10 healthy mature trees during the last week of July to first week of August. The seeds were extracted manually and their initial viability, moisture content and germination were tested in the laboratory. As the seeds of S oleosa were dormant during the collection, the seeds were kept for after-ripening at 16 per cent intact moisture content at 25°C for 60 days. Fully after-ripened seeds were sown inside the polyhouse in leveled beds prepared from six different growing media viz soil, sand, soil + sand (1:1), soil + sand + FYM (1:1:1), soil + sand + FYM (1:2:1) and soil + sand + FYM (2:1:1). The seed sowing was done at 2 to 3 cm depth in the month of March. The seed germination was recorded from 2nd week onward and the germination, seedling height and collar diameter were measured after 60 days and vigour index was calculated. The seedlings were transplanted in the polythene bags of 6'' × 8'' size filled with same growing media. The seedling height and collar diameter were measured two times, after 3 and 30 months of sowing. The results revealed that maximum germination (60%) and vigour index (1,533.74) were recorded in soil + sand + FYM (1:1:1) media, which were significantly higher than other growing media. After 3 months of sowing, maximum seedling height (32.94 cm) was recorded in soil + sand + FYM (1:1:1) which was significantly higher than other growing media. However, the effect of all the growing media on collar diameter was statistically non-significant. At the end of the experiment after 30 months of sowing, maximum seedling height (100.47 cm) and collar diameter (22.41 cm) were recorded in soil + sand + FYM (1:1:1) media, which was significantly higher than the only soil and only sand media.