K. Sudhakara , C. M. Jijeesh

Abstract

The effect of raised nursery beds, ischolar_main trainers using potting mixture as the medium and plastic trays using sand as the medium were studied on the germination of Teak drupes graded into 9-12 mm, 12-15 mm, and 15-18 mm size obtained from two different plantations of Nilambur Forest Division, Kerala. The effect of storage of teak drupes of different size grades for one year was also studied. Highest germination was obtained in nursery bed while the lowest was in sand under laboratory conditions. 15-18 mm drupes sown in nursery bed resulted in the highest germination percentage of 83.4 and germination value of 0.027 in Chathamparai plantation. The mean germination percentage and germination value of Cherupuzha plantation decreased from 38 and 0.039 to 3 and 0.015 respectively at the end of storage for one year. The effect of drupe size and the interaction between storage and drupe size on the storage life was not significant. The 15-18 mm size grade drupes of Cherupuzha plantation had 52% germination, which decreased with decrease in drupe size. The germination value did not vary with drupe size. The present study has shown that teak drupes germinate better in nursery bed compared to ischolar_main trainers and sand medium. Storage for one year resulted in 91 per cent reduction in germination percentage. Largest germination percentage could be obtained by using 15-18 mm size grade drupes.

Keywords

Germination Conditions, Storage, Drupes, Tectona grandis

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V. Jamaludheen , K. Gopikumar , K. Sudhakara

Abstract

The present study was undertaken in the College of Forestry, Vellanikkara with a view to study the extent of variation in various morphological characters among selected seedling population of Lagerstroemia speciosa. An attempt was also made to find out correlation if any. That existed between various tree growth parameters. In the present study considerable variation was observed in the vigour of trees expressed as various vegetative, flowering, fruit and seed characters. The study emphasises the fact that open pollinated seeds, even from the selected mother trees for seed purposes win not result in progenies behaving uniformly. Vegetative propagation is perhaps the only assurance for the transmission of characters uniformly from mother trees to their progenies.

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K. Sudhakara , Wesley Mammen , A. V. Santoshkumar , P. K. Ashokan

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of seed size, farmyard manure and fertilizer in the roting medium on the growth performance of containerised seedlings of Ceiba pentandra. Seedlings from large sized seeds showed significant increase in height, ischolar_main collar, diameter and number of leaves. Rooting medium containing sand, soil, and farmyard manure in the ratio 1:1:1 was significantly better than ischolar_maining medium with sand and soil in the ratio 1:1. Advantage of fertilizer application was negligible. Study of the main effects as well as the interaction effects showed that farmyard manure in the ischolar_maining medium is the most dominant factor influencing the seedling performance.

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K. Sudhakara , K. R. Veenadevi

Abstract

Vitex altissima L., a threatened tree species with high conservation value in the Western Ghats of India, has low germination rates, hindering the restoration of this species. In addition to studying the drupe characteristics of V. altissima, various pre-treatments were conducted to enhance the seed germination rates. The treatments included alternate wetting and drying, soaking in GA3 solution and fire. The number of days for initiation and completion of  germination varied from 10 to 16 and 74 to 93 respectively. Overnight soaking of the drupes in 300 ppm GA3 solution increased the germination percent,mean daily germination, peak value and germination value by 280 per cent,260 per cent, 311 per cent and 1416 per cent compared to the control. This was closely followed by GA3 solution 200 ppm soak overnight and 300 ppm soak for 30 min., alternate wetting and drying of drupes for ten days and straw fire treatment.

Keywords

Vitex altissima, Pre-treatment, Wetting and Drying, Soaking, Germination Value.

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K. Sudhakara ¹

Affiliations
1 College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur–680 656, IN

Abstract

Nine mulching materials were tested in addition to a control, viz., polythene sheets of different colours namely, transparent, blue, red, black, and white, single layer of newspaper, paddy straw, Eupatorium and gunny bag. After one year, two additional polythene sheets were tested viz., yellow and green, but white polythene sheet was not available. Combined results of both years showedthat newspaper mulch gave the largest germination percent of 50.38 (p≤ 0.000) which was 28% more than the control. This was followed by paddy straw, Eupatorium and gunny bag mulches in the decreasing order, though the differences were not significant. Mulching with green (lowest germination percentage of 22.75), yellow and blue polythene sheets gave significantly less germination percentage compared to the control. Transparent and white polythene were at par with the control. More or less similar results were obtained with regard to vigour parameters (p≤ 0.000).

Keywords

Mulches, Coloured Polythene Sheets, Paddy Straw, Newspaper, Eupatorium

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