Effect of plastic plug-tray cell size and shape on quality of soilless media grown tomato seedlings.

摘要

Vegetable seedling raising in multi-celled plastic plug-trays has already developed as an industry in several developed countries and it has also become popular in India during the last 4 to 5 years. When vegetable seedlings are raised in typical containers by using soilless media, growth rate of seedlings is affected by the container cell size and volume. The plastic plug-trays tested included inverted pyramid shaped cells with cell volume of 18.4 cm3 and 8.6 cm3 and round shaped cells with cell volume of 20.5 cm3 and 68.2 cm3. Soilless media used for raising seedlings in plug-trays included cocopeat, vermiculite and perlite (3:1:1 v/v). Tomato seedlings (var. HA-3318) were evaluated 32 days after sowing for their quality. Tomato seedlings raised in round cells with cell volume of 68.2 cm3 produced the highest shoot fresh weight (12.8 g), root fresh weight (5.2 g), root length (3.8 cm), leaf area (25.6 cm2), stem diameter (3.1 mm), true number of leaves (3.0) and seedling dry weight (156.0 mg) followed by the seedlings raised in inverted pyramid shaped cells having a cell volume of 18.4 cm2. Seedlings raised in the smaller size inverted pyramid shaped cells of 8.6 cm3 were poorest in quality. Cost of seedling raising was maximum (Rs. 65.3/100 seedlings) for the seedlings raised in round shaped cells of 68.2 cm3 and was minimum (Rs. 41.4/100 seedlings) for the seedlings raised in inverted pyramid shaped cells of 8.6 cm3 but the quality of tomato seedlings was poorest under this treatment. Inverted pyramid shaped cells of 18.4 cm3 are the most suitable and cost effective for raising tomato seedlings in soilless media.