Development of seed cube technology for successful afforestation through direct seeding of Thespesia populnea trees

Jawahar R., . and Umarani R., . Development of seed cube technology for successful afforestation through direct seeding of Thespesia populnea trees. pp. 52-57. ISSN 0128-1283

Seed balls are gaining popularity as a means to improve tree cover and facilitate ecological restoration. Currently seed balls are prepared without properly addressing seed dormancy seed germination percentage and seed vigour. Implementation of latest seed enhancement technologies such as seed coating and seed priming can facilitate germination of tree seed balls. Flat seed cubes have an advantage over spherical shaped seed balls in aiding seed germination and rooting of new germinants. A series of experiments were conducted using Thespesia populnea seeds to standardise seed coating technique humid priming technique and cube media composition. The results revealed that seeds of T. populnea coated with 4 g kg- Shidocoat (a gibberellic acid-based seed coating formulation developed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and marketed by Vriksha Agro Ventures India) followed by humid priming (24 hours soaking 3 days humid incubation) and embedded in cube media (700 g soil 130 g sawdust 80 g bone meal 40 g vermicompost and 50 g arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) recorded an increase of 46.0 germination 180.8 speed of emergence on the 21st day 7.5 root length 23.5 shoot length 14.1 total seedling length 23.1 dry matter production and 225.3 vigour index over the soil cube media. Owing to its significantly superior performance it is recommended that the improved seed cubes of T. populnea be directly placed on the surface of soil in chosen areas so that they can germinate when they receive the desired moisture through rainfall or irrigation.

Full text available from: Official URL: https://info.frim.gov.my/infocenter_applications/j...

Abstract

Seed balls are gaining popularity as a means to improve tree cover and facilitate ecological restoration. Currently seed balls are prepared without properly addressing seed dormancy seed germination percentage and seed vigour. Implementation of latest seed enhancement technologies such as seed coating and seed priming can facilitate germination of tree seed balls. Flat seed cubes have an advantage over spherical shaped seed balls in aiding seed germination and rooting of new germinants. A series of experiments were conducted using Thespesia populnea seeds to standardise seed coating technique humid priming technique and cube media composition. The results revealed that seeds of T. populnea coated with 4 g kg- Shidocoat (a gibberellic acid-based seed coating formulation developed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and marketed by Vriksha Agro Ventures India) followed by humid priming (24 hours soaking 3 days humid incubation) and embedded in cube media (700 g soil 130 g sawdust 80 g bone meal 40 g vermicompost and 50 g arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) recorded an increase of 46.0 germination 180.8 speed of emergence on the 21st day 7.5 root length 23.5 shoot length 14.1 total seedling length 23.1 dry matter production and 225.3 vigour index over the soil cube media. Owing to its significantly superior performance it is recommended that the improved seed cubes of T. populnea be directly placed on the surface of soil in chosen areas so that they can germinate when they receive the desired moisture through rainfall or irrigation.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Thespesia
AGROVOC Term:	Forest trees
AGROVOC Term:	Afforestation
AGROVOC Term:	Direct seeding
AGROVOC Term:	Seed coating
AGROVOC Term:	Seed germination
AGROVOC Term:	Seedlings
AGROVOC Term:	Growth
AGROVOC Term:	Shoots
AGROVOC Term:	Root length
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8854

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