Impact of potting media on growth and yield parameters of Dendrobium orchid cv. Sonia Red

Introduction

Dendrobium orchids are widely grown ornamental plants and very popular in the global flower market. They are appreciated for their beautiful appearance, long-lasting flowers, and adaptability in floral designs. Dendrobium orchids, especially the Sonia Red variety, are highly valued in the ornamental plant market for their vibrant purple flowers and long-lasting blooms. Because of their high demand and economic importance, especially in tropical and subtropical areas, improved cultivation methods for Dendrobium orchids are essential. In the Konkan region of Maharashtra, the local climate offers both challenges and opportunities for growing these orchids. A key factor in growing Dendrobium orchids is choosing the right growing media, which greatly governs plant growth, flowering, and overall yield. However, there is limited research on different Dendrobium varieties perform in various growing media under the unique environmental climate of Konkan. This lack of information calls for a detailed study on the impact of different growing media on Dendrobium cultivation in shaded conditions in the Konkan area. Therefore, study was planned to evaluate different growing media for their performance under shade-net conditions to find the best options for the Konkan region. Dendrobium orchids need well-draining media that can also hold enough moisture for continuous growth. The choice of potting media greatly impacts various growth factors, including plant growth, leaf count, number of flower spikes, and flower quality, making it a vital area for research. The aim of present study is to identify the most best potting media which is cost-effective and readily available medium for Dendrobium growth. Paul and Rajeevan, 1992 reported that Dendrobium hybrid Sonia-17 in the combination of charcoal, brick and cocopeat (1:1:1) showed good results in plant height, leaf size, new growth and root length. Saravanan, (2001) [6] found best growth of Dendrobium orchid hybrid Sonia-17 in coconut dust with a plant height of 37.17 cm. Arumugam and Jawaharlal, (2004) [1] observed earliest flowering within 177 days, the longest spike length of 44.56 cm and the highest number of florets per spike of 10.00 in coconut fiber in Dendrobium hybrid Sonia-17. Gufran et al. (2014) [3] put forth that Dendrobium orchid cv. Emma White in 10:30:30 NPK mix at 0.3 percent with brick pieces, gravel and poultry manure resulted the tallest plant at 32.25 cm with 5.25 new shoots per plant, with highest average number of florets per spike (12.58) and highest total spike yield per plant (5.69) in treatment. In Dendrobium, Banarjee, (2019) recorded a maximum of 6.0 florets per spike and the largest spike length of 45.16 cm in charcoal medium. Dendrobium nobile findings indicated that the media treatment of Cow-dung + Vermicompost was the most successful for first flowering, requiring 38.33 days to blossom, with the tallest spike (18.40) and the largest number of spikes yield of 2.06 (Ratre, 2021) [5] .

Materials and Method

The However, the mix of coconut husk with cow dung lumps led to shorter plants, probably may be due to its poor water retention and drainage issues. This shortcoming made the combination not suitable for growing Dendrobium, showing the importance of a medium that can retain enough moisture for healthy plant growth. Saravanan (2001) [6] found that Dendrobium cv. Sonia-17 grew tallest in coconut dust media. Gufran et al. (2014) [3] observed similar results, achieving the tallest plants with a 10:30:30 NPK solution at 0.3 percent combined with brick pieces, gravel, and poultry manure. Additionally, Banarjee (2019) identified charcoal as the best media for growing orchids. [3] noted that applying 10:30:30 NPK at 0.3% along with brick pieces, gravel, and poultry manure produces better results than other treatments for two varieties of Dendrobium. Banarjee (2019) reported the highest shoot count in vermicompost media Treatment T 4 had delayed harvesting at 12.00 days. The pooled data from both years, revealed that treatment T 1 -Coconut husk, achieved early harvesting at 9.73 days. This was statistically at par with treatments T 3 (10.06 days), T 5 (10.33 days), and T 2 (10.60 days). In contrast, treatment T 4 -Coconut husk and Cow-dung lumps, had a significantly delayed harvesting time of 13.20 days as compared to the other treatments. Arumugam and Jawaharlal, (2004) [1] observed and reported earliest flowering of Dendrobium orchid variety Sonia-17 in media coconut fiber. Ratre, (2021) [5] reported first flowering in Cow-dung + Vermicompost of Dendrobium orchid.

Spike length

The lengths of spikes of each plant, as shown in Table 4 and depicted in Figure 4, demonstrated that differing growth media shows substantial impact on spike length. In first year, the treatment T 1 -Coconut husk had the longest flower spike length of 40.00 cm and was on par with treatment T 5 -Coconut husk + Charcoal + Brick pieces, measuring 39.86 cm. The shortest spike length was found in treatment T 4 -Coconut husk and Cow-dung lumps, of 35.20 cm. During second year, same treatment i.e. T 1 again expressed longest spike length upto 40.66 cm, and was superior over treatment T 5 of 40.00 cm. The shortest spike length was still noticed in treatment T 4 , which measured 36.26 cm. Overall, the pooled data showed that treatment T 1 consistently produced the longest spike length over both years, averaging 40.33 cm, and was at par with treatments T 5 at 39.93 cm and T 8 , -Coconut husk + Charcoal + Brick pieces + Cow-dung lumps, of 38.83 cm, while shortest spike length remained in treatment T 4 at 35.73 cm. The research revealed that the tallest flower spikes thrived in potting media containing coconut husk, which is well known for holding water well, keeping moisture, and allowing good air flow, which helps roots grow better and leads to longer spike length. The findings are confirmatory with the work of Saravanan (2001) [6] and Arumugam and Jawaharlal (2004) [1] who indicated that coconut dust was the most effective media, resulting in the longest spike length. While, Banarjee, (2019) noted longest spike length of 45.16 cm in charcoal media. Ratre, (2021) [5] This variance emphasizes the importance of growth media in determining the duration of blooming and the date of harvest. Sonia Red responded well to its ability to store and absorb water, as well as to aerate. Similar results are reported by, Arumugam and Jawaharlal (2004) [1] wherein they found that the Dendrobium orchid cultivar Sonia-17 produced the most florets when grown in coconut fiber media. In contrast, Gufran et al. (2014) [3] observed the highest number of florets with a mix of brick pieces, gravel, and poultry manure, while the lowest was seen with rice husk, leaf mold, and gravel.

Number of spikes

The data presented in Table 6 and graphically shown in Figure 6 indicate that the number of spikes per plant changed significantly across all growing media during the both of the study. During the first year, the data on the number of spikes showed little difference in yield among the varieties, indicating minimal variation. The analysis for this year was statistically insignificant. However, treatment T 3 -Coconut husk + Brick pieces, produced the most spikes (1.26). In the second year, observations revealed significant differences among the media, with treatment T 1 -Coconut husk yielding the highest number of spikes (3.00) and treatment T 4 -Coconut husk and Cow-dung lumps yielded the least (2.20). Statistically, T 1 results were not comparable to any other treatment. The combined data revealed variation among the various media treatments for spikes.

The highest average spikes per plant were in treatment T 1 (2.10) and superior over T 3 (1.83) and T 5 (1.78), while T 4 had the lowest average spikes (1.63). The highest spike production harvested in plants grown in coconut husk media, indicating that coconut husk is a suitable growing medium for this variety as it provides maximum water moisture and aeriation to roots which results in better plant growth. These findings align with earlier studies like, Saravanan (2001) [6] who noted coconut dust as best growing media for Dendrobium orchid hybrid Sonia-17 yield, Gufran et al. (2014) [3] noticed 10:30:30 NPK mix at 0.3% with brick pieces, gravel and poultry manure resulted maximum spike yield, while Ratre (2019) recorded the largest number of spikes yield of Dendrobium in Cow-dung + Vermicompost media treatment.

Conclusion

The two years studies on potting media revealed that the use of coconut husk as a potting medium significantly enhances the growth and flowering characteristics of Dendrobium cv. Sonia Red, leading to the highest plant height, flower spike length and floret count as compared to other media combinations. Overall, treatment Coconut husk consistently outperformed over other treatments, indicating its effectiveness in promoting optimal growth and early flowering in Sonia Red orchid variety. On the other hand, the plant development was poor in the medium combination of coconut husk and cow dung lumps.

References

1. Arumugam T, Jawaharlal M. Effect of shade levels and growing media on growth and yield of Dendrobium orchid cultivar Sonia-17. J Orn Hort. 2004;7(1):107110.
2. Gufran A, Saravanan S, Kumar P, Lavania P. Effect of N.P.K. and potting media on plant growth and spike yield of Dendrobium Orchid cv. Emma White under Allahabad agro-climatic conditions. J Rural Agric Res. 2014;14(2):54-56.
3. Paul C, Rajeevan PK. Influence of media on growth parameters in Dendrobium. J Orchid Soc India. 1992;6(1-2):125-130.