PJB-2025-1531
Soilless media solutions for mango nursery involve the synergistic use of biochar and pot size to enhance growth
Muhammad Shahzad Zafar, Ishtiaq Ahmad Rajwana, Kashif Razzaq, Tanveer Ul Haq and Hameed Ullah
Abstract
Mango is Pakistan's second most important fruit crop, facing escalating health issues, mainly from unhealthy nursery plants. To address challenges like poor seedling growth and high mortality rates, a study was conducted to investigate the effects of various media on the growth and performance of mango nursery plants, focusing on four soilless media: M1(Compost-15%+ Coir 30% + Bagasse 65%), M2 (Coir 5%+ Bagasse 30%+ Compost-2 65%), M3(Compost-25%+ Coir 30% + Bagasse 65%), and M4(Biochar-25% + Coir 30% + Bagasse 65%); a soil-based media recipe M0 (Coir 5% + Silt 30% + Bagasse 65%) as control and three sizes of black polythene pots: S1 (35.56 cm x 22.86 cm), S2 (40.64 cm x 22.86 cm), and S3 (45.72 cm x 22.86 cm). The findings exhibited that media M4 and pot size S3 significantly enhanced plant height (42.97%), No. of leaves (30.21), leaf area (1.51 folds), stem girth (1.59 times), volume of root (2.53 folds), volume of shoot (1.42 folds), seedlings fresh biomass (39.68%), seedlings dry biomass (50.77%), fresh root weight (2.16 times) and dry root weight (2.36 times) as compared to control. However, compared to the control, a significant reduction was observed in days to first flush (10.64 days) and plant mortality (77.42%) in media M4 and pot size S3. The study reveals that soilless media M4 with larger pots S3 significantly improves the growth and vigor of mango nursery plants and reduces mortality compared to soil-based pot media and smaller pots. The research underscores the innovative potential of biochar-based media as a sustainable option, which enhances nursery practices and fosters healthier seedling growth in mango production
To Cite this article:
Zafar, M.S., I.A. Rajwana, K. Razzaq, T.U. Haq and H. Ullah. 2025. Soilless media solutions for mango nursery involve the synergistic use of biochar and pot size to enhance growth. Pak. J. Bot., 57(4): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2025-4(8)
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