Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

The influence of vermicompost on plant growth characteristics and stand establishment rate of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seedlings under saline conditions

Author(s):

Skender Kaciu ¹, Ismet Babaj ¹, Glenda Sallaku ², Astrit Balliu ²

Recieved Date: 2010-11-17, Accepted Date: 2011-01-08

Abstract:

Graded seeds of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cv. Cecil F₁ were individually seeded in foam trays filled with different substrates: peat compost, vermin compost and a mixture (50% to 50%) of peat compost and vermin compost. Plants were equally irrigated, but no additional nutrient elements were supplied till transplanting time. A sufficient number of 60 days old seedlings were transplanted in larger plastic pots filled with vermiculite, divided in three equal groups. In the two successive weeks all plants were periodically irrigated with equal amounts of the same nutrient solution (N 150, P 40 and K 200 mg l^-1) but differing from each other by the quantity of NaCl added in the nutrient solution (respectively; 0, 20 and 50 mM). At the end of nursery stage and two weeks after transplanting a sufficient number of plants were randomly selected and to each of them roots, stems and leaf dry matter were weighed and leaf area of plants was measured for each experimental plot. Based on the primary data, the relative growth rates (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), leaf area ratio (LAR) and its components, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf weight fraction (LWF), were computed, respectively, for the nursery stage and the transplanting time. Based on the assumption RGR = NAR x SLA x LWF, growth response coefficients (GRC) were computed for NAR, SLA and LWF to indicate the relative contribution of each parameter to a change in RGR. Vermin compost was found an appropriate growing media for vegetable seedling propagation, used alone or in mixture with sphagnum peat. Though during the nursery period, pepper plants grow relatively slow compared to peat grown seedlings, it provided the highest growth rate during the stand establishment time, especially under salinity stress conditions, mostly thanks to enhanced plants’ physiological efficiency.

Keywords:

Vermin compost, pepper seedlings, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate, dry matter partitioning, salinity stress

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2011
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
Category: Environment
Pages: 488-490

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