Influence of different nutrient management practices on growth performance of potted Syngonium

Introduction

Indoor plants not only add greenery to the inside environment, but are also capable of reducing air pollution. They absorb toxins from surroundings and release oxygenated air to enrich the same. Among the indoor plants syngonium is popular and is grown around the world due to its appealing ornamental foliage. Nutrition influences the growth and quality of indoor plants. Nutrients and the quantity required should be understood before opting for the source of fertilizer to be used and the method of application, as these factors influence the growth and quality of indoor plants. The supply of essential plant nutrients in an optimal proportion is essential for better plant growth, development, and nutrient utilization efficiency (Ruxanabi et al. 2020) [13] . Water-soluble fertilizers (WSF), multi-nutrient fertilizers, organic manures, controlled-release fertilizers, and biofertilizers are among the most important nutrient management methods. Using WSF in various crops reduces need for fertilizer by ∼ 30%-50% while also reducing irrigation water use.

Plant height was measured at 45, 90 and 135 days after planting. The readings were taken for five tagged plants per treatment per replication and the mean was calculated. The height was recorded up to the tip of the longest leaf with the help of a standard meter scale and expressed in centimeters.

Number of leaves per plant

The number of leaves were counted at 45, 90 and 135 days after planting. The readings were taken for five tagged plants per treatment per replication and averages were done.

The length of mature leaf was measured at 45, 90 and 135 days after planting by taking average of five leaves per each plant. The length was recorded from the basal lobe to the tip with the help of standard meter scale and expressed in centimeters.

The width of mature leaf was measured at 45, 90 and 135 days after planting by taking average of five leaves per each plant. The width of the middle portion of the fully mature leaves was taken with the help of standard meter scale and expressed in centimeters.

The leaf area was calculated at135DAP by taking 10 leaves from a plant by random selection and measured with Leaf Area Meter. The mean was calculated and multiplied with the total number of leaves of 5 randomly selected plants.

The root system of the above sampled plants was cleaned to remove adhered soil and media. The length from collar region to the tip of longest root was measured using a measuring scale, average values were worked out and expressed in centimeter.

Number of roots per plant

Number of roots per plant was counted by uprooting three plants per treatment per replication at 135 DAP and washed thoroughly then total number of roots per plant was recorded and average was calculated.

The data pertaining to the plant height at 45 DAP as influenced by different nutrient sources, biofertilizers and their combinations is presented in Table 1. The pooled data of both years showed that the maximum plant height (31.67 cm) was recorded in N 2-water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 4 g/l, followed by N 1 -water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 2 g/l (30.75 cm). The biofertilizers differed significantly in which the maximum plant height (28.78 cm) was recorded in B 1 -Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant followed by B 2 -VAM 5 g/plant, (25.38 cm). The interaction effect between different nutrient sources and biofertilizers was significant. The highest plant height (34.23 cm) was recorded in T 3 (N 2 B 1 ) water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 4 g/l + Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant followed by T 1 (N

AT 135 DAP

The pooled data of both years showed that the maximum plant height (50.83 cm) was recorded in N 2 -water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 4 g/l, and was on par with N 1 -water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 2 g/l (49.16 cm). The biofertilizers differed significantly in which the maximum plant height (47.18 cm) was recorded in B 1 -Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant followed by B 2 -VAM 5 g/plant, (43.29 cm). The interaction effect was significant. The highest plant height (52.29 cm) was recorded in T 3 (N 2 B 1 )-water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 4 g/l + Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant which was on par with T 1 (N 1 B 1 )-water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 2 g/l + Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant (50.74 cm), followed by T 4 (N 2 B 2 ) water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 4 g/l + VAM 5 g/plant (49.37 cm), whereas the lowest plant height was recorded in T 8 (N 4 B 2 )-water spray + VAM 5 g/plant (32.66 cm). The increase in plant height may be due to the crop response to different nutrients, stimulated by the foliar application of nutrients at different growth stages. The spraying of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in combination increased the mobilization of macronutrients as reported by Hatwar et al. (2003) [7] in chilli. In this research, the use of WSF and biofertilizers increased plant height, spread and number of leaves, petiole length, and leaf area, which could be related to increased nutrient availability. The use of essential plant nutrients in accessible form boosts crop growth and productivity. Also, the optimal nutrient schedule improves nutrient-use efficiency by minimizing nutrient loss (Bana et al. 2021) [2] . The combined usage of WSF and biofertilizers may have provided an adequate amount of nutrients while also promoting metabolic activity in the plants, resulting in improved growth and development. The beneficial effect of WSF on plant growth was reported by (Mishra et al. 2011; Bohane and Tiwari 2014; El-Tohamy et al. 2019) [10,3,5] . [9] and Mukherjee (2019) [12] in wheat. The Arka Microbial Consortium (AMC), comprising Nfixing bacteria, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria, and zinc solubilizers, aids the plant in obtaining more nutrients from the soil, releasing fixed nutrients in soil aggregates, and developing plant resistance to soil-borne diseases caused by various microbes. These results are in conformity with the findings of Airadevi (2010) [1] in chrysanthemum and Geeta Pandey et al. (2010) [6] observed in chrysanthemum. was recorded in B 1 -Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant followed by B 2 -VAM 5 g/plant, (18.53 cm). The interaction effect was found to be non-significant.

AT 135 DAP

The pooled data showed that the maximum leaf length (24.13 cm) was recorded in N 2 -followed by N 1 (23.18 cm). The biofertilizers differed significantly in which the maximum leaf length (22.75 cm) was recorded in B 1 followed by B 2 (20.96 cm). The interactions was nonsignificant.

The pooled data showed ( [4] in Cajanus Cajan L. var. Manak. ) was recorded in B 1 -Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant followed by B 2 -VAM 5 g/plant, (1504.12 cm 2 ). The interaction effect was found to be nonsignificant. WSF increased root system activity and improved root system physiology, suggesting its potential use as a plant growth regulator. The combination of WSF and AMC increased root length and number of roots per plant compared to the control. The root system activity was highly correlated with WSF concentrations. A high concentration of nutrients in the rhizosphere can influence the osmotic pressure of the root system, and thus its growth and activity (Itoh et al. 1987; Monsuru and Daud 2016) [8,11] .

Conclusion

The present investigation concluded that syngonium plants with the nutrient management of T 3 (N 2 B 1 )-water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19) 4 g/l + Arka microbial consortium 5 g/plant performed well with respect to growth parameters.

References

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