INTRODUCTION
Raising of seedlings is a foremost important aspect ofvegetable production. Nursery is the place where youngseedlings are raised and nurtured before planting them in themain field. For raising a good crop, it is utmost essential thatseedling should be healthy, vigorous and disease-free.Seedlings are susceptible to a number of diseases due to itsdelicate, succulent and highly tender nature. To ensure highproductivity and high quality of the produce, raising of highquality seedlings through use of good quality seeds at righttime and at a appropriate place is one of the important aspectsof vegetable farming. Vegetable seedlings raised in open fieldconditions are generally inferior in quality due to virusinfection, especially during rainy and post rainy season. Onone side soil borne fungus create sever problem for raisingthe seedlings in soil media in open fields during hot summerand rainy season, and on the other hand the high cost ofhybrid seeds also warranted the growers to improve or changetheir traditional nursery raising method to increase the
Abstract : The trials were conducted at farmers’ fields for three years 2000-01 to 2002-03 during both Kharif and Rabi season under NationalAgricultural Technology Project. Six treatment combinations of crops (tomato, brinjal, chilli during Kharif and onion, cabbage, cauliflowerduring Rabi) and two methods (farmers’ practice and improved method) were tested in factorial Randomized Block Design at four locations.Results revealed that during both seasons, nursery raising method and crops exerted significant effect on seedling emergence, total seedlings,mortality (%) and healthy seedlings. Improved method of nursery raising recorded higher emergence of seedlings (%), total seedlings, healthyseedlings, plant height and less mortality as compared to farmers’ practice. Among the crops during Kharif season, tomato showed maximumpercentage of seedling emergence, least mortality, maximum total as well as healthy seedlings per unit area. During Rabi season highestemergence, total number of seedlings, number of healthy seedlings, plant height and mortality were observed in onion. Higher mortality in onionas compared to cabbage and cauliflower indicated that onion is more vulnerable to adverse conditions.
Key Words : Vegetable, Seedling raising, Methods
View Point Article : Kushwah, S.S. and Dwivedi, Y.C. (2013). Studies on seedling production methods in vegetable crops. Internat. J. agric. Sci.,9(1): 260-263.
Article History : Received : 26.08.2012; Revised : 25.10.2012; Accepted : 09.12.2012
Studies on seedling production methods in vegetable crops
S.S. KUSHWAH* AND Y.C. DWIVEDIDepartment of Horticulture, J.N. Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, JABALPUR (M.P.) INDIA
(Email : [email protected])
International Journal of Agricultural SciencesVolume 9 | Issue 1| January, 2013 | 260-263 RESEARCH PAPER
* Author for correspondence and Present Address R.V.S.K.V.V., College of Horticulture, MANDSAUR (MP) INDIA
productivity and quality of vegetables. Higher cost andsusceptibility of high yielding varieties to adverse conditionsspecifically at initial growth stage compels to search for newtechniques for seedling raising so that each and every seedshall result in a healthy plant. It is also a well known fact thatproductivity of a crop plant is affected to the great extent withthe care taken at its initial growth (Nicola and Basoccu, 1994).Raising of nursery under polyhouse or greenhouse and sowingthe individual seed of hybrid in potting plug with artificialculture media is a well-established practice in developedcountries. However, in our country raising of nursery undercontrolled conditions is not possible at large and there is lackof other facilities like potting plug, rooting media, etc. Farmersgrow seedlings at the places near to the transplanting field sothat transportation is not required. In such situations, properattention to the selection of nursery site and treatment ofseed and nursery soil may be a good approach. Soil solarisationhas been proved as cheapest and eco-friendly approach forsoil disinfection of nursery beds (Sudha et al., 1999). Followingthis simple practice, population of soil-borne pathogen, pests
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and weeds can be reduced to a substantial level. Keepingthese facts in view, present experiment was carried out tocompare the method being practiced by the local farmersand improved method.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The trials were conducted at farmers’ fields for threeyears 2000-01 to 2002-03 during both Kharif and Rabiseason under National Agricultural Technology Project.Six treatment combinations of crops (tomato, brinjal, chilliduring Kharif and onion, cabbage, cauliflower duringRabi) and two methods (farmers’ practice and improvedmethod) were laid in factorial Randomized Block Designat four locations. In case of farmers’ practice seeds werebroadcasted in flat beds without soil and seed treatment.Each bed of 1×3m2 was supplied with 5kg FYM. Noinsecticide and fungicides were applied on seedlings.Whereas, in improved method, vegetable seeds treatedwith thiram @ 2.5gkg-1 seed were sown in lines spaced at5cm in 10-12 cm raised beds. Nursery beds were treatedwith soil solarisation method during first fortnight of Junefor Kharif season and second fortnight of September forRabi season. During Kharif season tomato (JT-99), brinjal(JB64) and chilli (JM-283) seeds were sown @ 5g /m2, 5g/m2 and 8g/m2. After sowing seed beds were covered withmulching material (dry grass) till the emergence started.During Rabi season onion (Agrifound Light Red),cabbage (Pride of India) and cauliflower (Pusi) seeds weresown @ 20g/m2, 5g/m2 and5g/m2, respectively. Each bedof 1×3m2 was supplied with 5kg FYM, 250g urea, 150gsingle super phosphate and 100g muriate of potash.Mancozeb and endosulfan 35 EC @ 2.5g and 1.5 ml perliter of water, respectively were sprayed twice at 10 and20 days after sowing. Observations were recorded onheight of seedlings, seedling emergence percentage, totalnumber of seedlings m2, mortality percentage and numberof healthy seedlings m2. The data recorded were subjectedto statistical analysis as per standard procedure.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe findings (Table 1) revealed that during Kharif,
nursery raising method crops exerted significant effecton seedling emergence, total seedlings, mortality (%) andhealthy seedlings. Improved method of nursery raisingrecorded higher emergence of seedlings (%), totalseedlings, healthy seedlings, plant height and lessmortality as compared to farmers’ practice. Seedtreatment, line sowing and covering the seed with mulchmaterial might have provided favourable conditions forgermination and resulted in better emergence of seedlingsunder improved method. Further, sowing in lines atuniform spacing on raised beds and care of seedlings
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with plant protection measures resulted in morenumber of total and healthy seedlings with moreheight and less mortality of emerged seedlings.Whereas, in case of farmers’ practice, there was lessemergence, high mortality and weak, unhealthy,defective and damaged seedlings due to morefluctuation in soil moisture, improper spacing causedweak and lanky seedlings during all the three yearsof investigation. These findings were corroboratedby those of Mini and Joseph (1998) in chilli and Tiwariand Vishunavat (2011) in tomato.
Significant differences were observed in cropsfor all these parameters except mortality percentage.Among the three crops tested during Kharif season,tomato showed maximum percentage of seedlingemergence, least mortality, maximum total as well ashealthy seedlings per unit area. Height of seedlingsnoted at 35 days after sowing was also highest incase of tomato whereas lowest values of seedlingemergence, total seedlings, number of healthyseedlings and height of seedlings were found withchilli.
Combined effect of nursery raising methods andcrops did not showed any significant impact onseedling emergence, mortality percentage, numberof total seedlings and plant height. Though, numberof healthy seedlings revealed significant differenceswith different combinations. All the three cropsrecorded significantly higher number of healthyseedlings when raised with improved method overtheir performance under farmers’ practice.
Perusal of data presented in Table 2 indicatedthat during Rabi season method of nursery raisinghad significant effect on mortality (%), total numberof seedlings, number of healthy seedlings and heightof seedlings. Maximum number of total seedlings,healthy seedlings, plant height and least mortalitywas observed under improved method. Though thegermination (%) not differed significantly,numerically higher germination was recorded underimproved method. Well spaced sowing of fungicidetreated seeds on disinfected beds (soil solarisedbeds) providing sufficient light, water and nutrientas well as protection from diseases and insect pestsmight have been the reasons for less mortality, highertotal and healthy number of seedlings as well asvigorous seedlings.
Different crops varied significantly for all theparameters studied. Among the different cropshighest germination, total number of seedlings,number of healthy seedlings, plant height andmortality were observed in onion. Higher mortality inonion as compared to cabbage and cauliflower
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indicate that onion is more vulnerable to adverse conditions.Combined effect of nursery raising methods and crops
showed significant effect on the number of healthy seedlings,which were recorded more in all the crops raised underimproved method as compared to farmers practice. Lessmortality combined with higher percentage of emergence mighthave lead to higher number of healthy seedlings (Pandey etal. , 2004 and Trottin Caudal, 1998).
Conclusion :Hence, from the findings of three years trials it could be
concluded that growing of vegetable seedlings with improvedmethod produced more number of healthy seedlings ascompared to farmers' practice. Besides it also resulted inimproved vigour in seedlings as reflected through height ofseedlings.
REFERENCES
Mini, C. and Joseph, Ancy (1998). Effect of seed spacing in nurseryon seedling vigour and field performance in chilli (Capsicum annuumL.). Veg. Sci., 25 (2):124-126.
Nicola, S. and Basoccu, L. (1994). Nitrogen and N,P,K relationaffect tomato seedling growth, yield and earliness. Acta Hort., 357:95-102.
Pandey, K.K., Pandey, P.K. and Mishra, K.K. (2004). Integrateddisease management of vegetable nursery. Veg. Sci., 31(1): 45-50.
Sudha, T., Nanjappa, H.V., Shashikant and Udikeri, S. (1999).Soil solarization for weed control in chilli and capsicum nursery.Crop Res. Hisar, 17(3): 356-362.
Tiwari, Rashmi and Vishunavat, Karuna (2011). Seed-borneinfection of Alternaria solani in tomato: detection, transmissionand management. Seed Res., 39(2):161-165.
Trottin Caudal, Y. (1998). Rational control methods start in thenursery. Infos-Paris, 142: 38-40.
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