Effect of different nursery techniques on survival and growth of seedlings of Azadirachta indica
Effect of different nursery techniques on survival and growth of seedlings of Azadirachta indica
Muhammad Tahir Laeeq and Muhammad Asif Aziz
ABSTRACT
Azadirachta indica (L) A. Juss. (Neem) is native of Indo-Pak sub-continent and Burma. It is a multipurpose tree species, especially having medicinal and pesticidal value. Neem is propagated primarily through seed, but seeds are having viability for short period of time. To get healthy and good quality planting stock appropriate nursery techniques are imperative.
The study was initiated to assess the effect of various nursery techniques on the growth improvement of neem seedlings for obtaining healthy planting stock. The study comprised of four experiments including (i) application of fertilizer (urea) @ 0.2 gm/seedling at 2, 4, 6 and 8 days intervals. (ii) application of a hydroabsorbant polymer having a blend of fertilizer and growth stimulants. (iii) use of four mixtures of soil, sand and farmyard manure in the ratios of 3:2:1, 2:2:1, 4:3:2 and 3:2:2. (iv) use of four sizes of polythene bags (17.8 x 10.6 cm, 17.8 x 8.9 cm, 16.5 x 10.6 cm and 20.3 x 10.2 cm).
The result of fertilizer experiment revealed that control seedlings and those treated at intervals of 4,6 and 8 days with urea gave significantly better survival as compared to those seedlings treated at an intervals 2 days. However, height growth of control seedlings was found significantly better than those of seedlings treated at intervals of 2, 4 and 6 days. In Terracottem study, the chemical did not show any positive effect on survival as well as height growth of the seedlings. In the experiment of four different soil mixtures, no difference in seedlings survival was found among all the treatments. However, soil, sand and farm yard manure mixtures (4:3:2) showed significantly better height growth than mixtures, of 3:2:2 and 2:2:1. No significant difference among four sizes of polythene tubes regarding survival of neem seedlings was observed. However, the tube size of 20.3 x 10.2 cm produced the highest height growth (18.9 cm) which was significantly better than the height growth in tube size of 17.8 x 10.6 cm and 16.5 x 10.6 cm. As statistically, no significant difference in height growth of seedlings in two tube sizes i.e. 20.3 x 10.2 cm and 17.8 x 8.9 cm was found thus tube size of 17.8 x 8.9 cm is recommended for raising neem seedlings on the basis of better height growth and cost effectiveness of this tube size.
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