GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF CONTAINERIZED MOLUCCAN SAU SEEDLINGS GROWN IN ORGANIC CONTAINERS

Abstract

Moluccan sau seedlings grown in coir dust container under greenhouse conditions performed better in terms of height, diameter, number of leaves and shoots than those grown from bagasse, rice straw and sawdust materials. However, in the field phase, rice straw container-grown seedlings attained the highest growth (height and stem diameter) six months after field planting. Early biodegradation of the containers as well as the nutrient content present in the materials hastened the growth of the seedlings. However, such effect on growth was not sustained when the containers completely degraded between the fifth and sixth month. All the treatments did not significantly affect the survival of seedlings during the first to sixth month after planting.