Use of root trainers and wick irrigation for better production of rubber plant seedlings production in nurseries | [Soil and Environment • 2020]

Author(s):

1. Nabayi Abba: Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University Dutse (FUD), Nigeria. P m b, Ibrahim Aliyu Bypass ; Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

2. Christopher Teh Boon Sung: Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture,Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia

3. Ahmad Husni Mohd Hanif: Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture,Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia

4. Zulkefly Sulaiman: Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture,UPM, UPM Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia

Abstract:

The conventional system of raising rubber seedlings in nurseries is the soil-polybag growing system with sprinkler irrigation. The drawback of this system is associated with high water wastage and labour. The soilpolybag growing system also causes root restriction and root coiling which reduce the seedlings growth and lower field survival rate upon field transplanting. The potting mix growing system was developed in this study to overcome these disadvantages. An experiment was conducted under a rain shelter at Field No. 15, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang (2O59'4.96"N and 101O44'0.70"E) for 8-months period, from December 2014 to July 2015. The experiment was laid out in a RCB design. Rubber clone RRIM 2000 series at one-month old was used, under two different growing systems as follows: potting mix growing system (BX-1 growing media with Rb900 tubes) with wick irrigation system (T1) and soil-polybag growing system with wick irrigation system (T2). Plant growth parameters and leaf nutrient content of the seedlings were measured at the start and end of the experiment. Highest plant growth and leaf nutrient content was recorded in the potting mix growing system which differed significantly from the seedlings raised in the conventional system (p<0.01). The cost benefit analysis of the two growing systems showed that the conventional growing system had a higher cost saving benefit for a small-scale seedlings production but only for the short term. For a longer term of production or a large-scale production, the potting mix growing system had higher cost benefit more than the conventional system.

Page(s): 126-134

DOI: 10.25252/SE/2020/71674

Published: Journal: Soil and Environment, Volume: 39, Issue: 2, Year: 2020

Keywords:

Sprinkler irrigation , nurseries , rubber , capillary wick irrigation , Potting mix system , soilpolybag

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