TITLE:
Germination Pattern and Root Trainer Performance of Terminalia arjuna: A Troublesome Tree Species in Plantation Trials
AUTHORS:
Justin R. Nayagam, K. I. Mani Varghese
KEYWORDS:
Germination Value, Terminalia arjuna, Rooting Media, Root-Trainers
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.2 No.12,
December
11,
2015
ABSTRACT: In order to study the germination pattern and
root trainer technology for Terminalia arjuna, its seeds were procured from two places of central Kerala and their
germination studies were conducted in six different sowing media using fresh,
pretreated and seeds stored up to three months. Germination value (GV) for all
the field trials was calculated that showed highest for fresh seeds without
pretreatments sown in PBCP and RTCP. Maximum GV for pretreated seeds were
recorded in control and in gibberellic acid (100 ppm) treated seeds sown in
PBCP and RTCP. Analysis of variance shows significance at 1% level between
medium, between pretreatments and between years of study. Transplantation
shock, bulkiness, and frequent change of polythene bags cause additional labor
by conventional method but root trainers have advantages such as requiring no
change of medium, least possibility of transplantation shock, advantage of air
pruning, prevention of root coiling due to antispiral design and requirement of
small area which makes them suitable for mass production of seedlings.