Effect of growing media on seed germination and seedling growth of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam)

Introduction

The Jackfruit plant (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) belongs to the family Moraceae. Among fruit-bearing plants, it is native to India and produces the largest fruit. This yielder is fairly heavy. In India's eastern Southern and Western Ghats, the fruit is referred to as "poor man's food." Both the rich and the poor like the fruit. You can utilize immature fruit as a vegetable. The ripe fruit is rich in minerals, vitamins A and C, and other nutrients. In addition to being a high source of carbohydrates (23.4%), the edible pulp also includes minerals (0.9%), protein (0.6%), fat (0.6%), fiber (1.8%), and ash (0.5%). The seeds have 0.4% fat, 1.5% fiber, and 1.5% ash. The seeds have a high protein content of 11.05% and a high starch content of 38.4% (Purseglove, 1968) [16] . The jack tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) produces the dicotyledonous compound fruit known as jackfruit, which is found in many tropical South-East Asian nations but is especially common in Bangladesh and India. Fruit typically weighs 10 to 25 kg and is grown in the summer, when there are often shortages of primary foods like cereals. Locally referred to as kathal, jackfruit is a member of the Moraceae family, which also includes Ficus species (fig) and Morus species (mulberry), and it has chromosomal number 2n=56 (tetraptoid) (Campbell, 1984) [3] . With over 1,000 species spread across 67 genera, this family primarily consists of tropical trees and shrubs, however there are also some vines and plants. (Press, B. R. I. T. 2018). The world's largest edible fruit is jackfruit. It's an evergreen tropical tree. It was once called Artocarpus integrifolia. Widely grown in South Asia, East India, and other warm regions of both hemispheres, it is an indigenous fruit crop that most likely originated in the Western Ghats. Jack trees are widely grown in Brazil, Malaysia, and Burma. Despite being widely spread throughout Assam, Bihar, South India, and the foothills of the Himalayas in North India, it is barely acknowledged as a commercial fruit crop in India. It is a staple of Keralam homesteads and is also planted as a shade crop alongside cardamom, areca, and coffee. Pepper plantations often grow it as a conventional crop. The crop has the unique distinction of being a staple food for the indigenous people of Kerala as well as in several African nations like Uganda. In the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh jackfruit is grown extensively. Other states like Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Maharashtra, and West Bengal also cultivate it. Approximately 186 thousand hectares of jackfruit are grown in India, with a production volume of 3292 thousand metric tonnes and a productivity of 17.69 MT (NHB., 2024) [11] . The total area planted to jack fruit in Chhattisgarh is 10.457 hectares, with a productivity of 19.40 metric tonnes and an annual production of 202.936 metric tonnes (Anon., 2024) [1] . Raigarh, Kondagaon, Bastar, Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham, Mahasamund, Bilaspur and Korea are the districts in Chhattisgarh where it is grown. Growers are willing to accept this fruit in exchange for enormous financial returns, as evidenced by the area's astounding expansion.

Materials and Methods

Experimental Site

Field experiment was carried out during the year 2024-25 at Research cum Instructional Farm KDCHRS, Jagdalpur (C.G.). The experiment consisted of eight treatments as treatments under a Completely Randomized Design with three replications: T 1 College field Soil, T 2 Soil + FYM (3:1), T 3 Soil + vermi-compost + rice husk (2:1:1), T 4 Soil + vermi-compost + sawdust (2:1:1), T 5 Soil + vermi-compost +coco peat (2:1:1), T 6 Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + coco peat (1:1:1:1), T 7 Pond soil, T 8 Farmer field soil (Location -Pandripani). The data collected during the investigation were statistically analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method. Observations related to germination and seedling growth parameters were recorded at monthly intervals up to 120 days after sowing.

Observations recorded 2.2.1 Days taken to start germination

Seed germination was monitored starting from the day of sowing. The number of days taken for the seeds to germinate was noted, and the average number of days required for germination was calculated and reported.

Days taken to 50% germination

The duration from the initial germination to the point where 50% of the seeds germinated was measured.

Germination percentage

Germination percentage for each treatment was assessed 30 days after sowing. It was determined using the following formula and presented as a percentage.

Germination% =

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑤𝑛 × 100

Germination index (GI)

The germination index was determined according to the method outlined by the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA, 1983) using the following formula.

The heights of five randomly chosen plants were measured from the collar region to the shoot tip at 60, 90, and 120 days after sowing. The average seedling height was then determined and expressed in centimeters.

Stem girth of five randomly selected plants from each treatment in every replication was measured using vernier calipers at 3 cm above the base at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after sowing. The average stem girth was then calculated and expressed in millimeters.

Number of leaves per seedling

The total number of leaves per plant was determined by counting the leaves on five randomly selected plants at 60, 90, and 120 days after sowing, and the values were recorded as the number of leaves per seedling.

Results and Discussion

Days Taken to Start Germination

The days taken to start germination were significantly influenced by different growing media Table 1. The earliest germination (11.72 days) was recorded in T₆ (Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + cocopeat, 1:1:1:1), followed by T₅ (11.82 days). Treatments T₂, T₃ and T₄ were statistically at par. The maximum time to start germination (16.17 days) was observed in T₁ (control), followed by T₈ (14.80 days) and T₇ (14.44 days). The early germination observed in T₆ may be attributed to improved aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability provided by the combined effect of vermicompost, rice husk and cocopeat, which created a favourable environment for rapid seed imbibition and germination. These findings are in close agreement with the reports of Anjanawe in papaya, Desai et al. (2017) [6] in papaya, Gawankar et al., (2021) [8] in jackfruit and Pradhan et al. (2024) [15] in jackfruit in jackfruit.

Days require for 50% germination

The observations on days taken to attain 50 per cent germination were significantly influenced by different growing media Table 1. The minimum number of days to 50 per cent germination (20.31 days) was recorded in T₆ (Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + cocopeat, 1:1:1:1), followed by T₅ (21.05 days). Treatments T₂, T₃ and T₄ were statistically at par, whereas the maximum time (27.94 days) was recorded in T₁ (control), followed by T₈ (26.99 days) and T₇ (25.22 days). The earlier attainment of 50 per cent germination in T₆ may be attributed to improved aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability provided by vermicompost, rice husk and cocopeat, which promoted rapid seed imbibition and uniform germination. In contrast, delayed germination in the control was likely due to poor aeration and greater soil compaction. These findings are in close agreement with the reports of Gawankar et al. (2021) [8] in jackfruit.

The observations on seed germination percentage were significantly influenced by different growing media and are presented in Table 2. The highest germination (91.41%) was recorded in T₆ (Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + cocopeat in 1:1:1:1 ratio), which was statistically superior to all treatments including control (T₁). This was followed by T₃ (81.46%) and T₂ (78.54%). Treatments T₅ and T₄ recorded 75.02% and 70.22% germination, respectively. The lowest germination (61.42%) was observed in T₁ (control), followed by T₈ (64.88%) and T₇ (65.51%). Higher germination in T₆ may be due to improved aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability provided by vermicompost, rice husk and cocopeat, which created favorable conditions for seed imbibition and growth. In contrast, lower germination in control and field soils may be due to compaction and poor aeration. Overall, incorporation of organic components improved soil properties and enhanced germination. These findings are in agreement with Anjanawe in papaya, Bhardwaj (2014) [2] in papaya and Gawankar et al. (2021) [8] in jackfruit.

Germination Index

The observations on germination index were significantly influenced by different growing media and are presented in Table 2. The highest germination index (33.42) was recorded in T₆ (Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + cocopeat in 1:1:1:1 ratio), which was statistically superior over all treatments including control (T₁). This was followed by T₅ (27.69) and T₃ (27.21), which were at par with T₂ (26.55). Treatment T₄ recorded 23.91, while the lowest germination index (18.02) was observed in T₁, followed by T₈ (20.27) and T₇ (20.67). Higher germination index in T₆ may be due to improved aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability from vermicompost, rice husk and cocopeat, which enhanced germination rate and uniformity. In contrast, lower values in control and field soils may be due to poor soil structure and less favourable conditions. These results are in agreement with Prajapati et al., (2017) in acid lime, Arvind (2014) in papaya, Bhardwaj (2014) [2] in papaya and Gawankar et al., (2019) [7] . in jackfruit.

Seedling height was recorded at 60, 90 and 120 DAS and was significantly influenced by different growing media. The data presented in table 3. At 60 DAS, the maximum seedling height (39.67 cm) was recorded under T₆ (Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + coco-peat in 1:1:1:1), followed by T₄ (37.40 cm), T₅ (36.18 cm) and T₃ (35.28 cm), while the minimum (25.62 cm) was observed in T₁ (control). At 90 DAS, T₆ again recorded the highest height (51.04 cm), followed by T₅ (49.72 cm), T₃ (49.51 cm) and T₄ (48.70 cm), whereas the lowest (30.26 cm) was in T₁ At 120 DAS, the maximum height (58.04 cm) was recorded in T₆, followed by T₃ (57.68 cm), T₅ (57.18 cm) and T₄ (56.94 cm), which were at par and superior to T₂ (56.21 cm). The minimum (35.84 cm) was recorded in T₁. The superior performance of T₆ may be due to improved aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability provided by vermicompost, rice husk and coco-peat, resulting in better root growth and nutrient uptake. Similar results were reported by Prajapati et ai., (2017) in acid lime, Gawankar et al. (2019) [7] in jackfruit, Parmar et al. (2019) [13] custard apple, and Pradhan et al. (2024) [15] in jackfruit. .

The girth of jackfruit seedlings recorded at 60, 90 and 120 DAS were significantly influenced by different growing media. The data presented in table 3. At 60 DAS, the maximum girth (4.60 mm) was recorded under T₆ (Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + coco-peat in 1:1:1:1), followed by T₅ (4.42 mm), while the minimum (3.06 mm) was observed in T₁ (control). At 90 DAS, T₆ again recorded the highest girth (6.02 mm), followed by T₅ (5.88 mm), whereas the lowest (3.55 mm) was noted in T₁. At 120 DAS, the maximum girth (9.45 mm) was recorded under T₆, followed by T₅ (9.25 mm), T₃ (9.08 mm) and T₄ (8.91 mm), while the minimum (5.50 mm) was recorded in T₁. Overall, T₆ proved superior at all stages, likely due to improved nutrient availability, aeration and moisture retention, which enhanced stem growth. Similar findings were reported by Gawankar et al. (2019) [7] in jackfruit, Lad et al. (2020) [10] in mango and Pradhan et al. (2024) [15] in jackfruit.

Number of Leaves per Seedling

The number of leaves per seedling recorded at 60, 90 and 120 DAS showed significant variation due to different growing media. The data presented in table 3. At 60 DAS, the maximum number of leaves (5.07) was recorded under T₆ (Soil + vermicompost + rice husk + coco-peat in 1:1:1:1), followed by T₅ (4.83), while the minimum (3.32) was observed in T₁ (control). At 90 DAS, T₆ again recorded the highest number of leaves (12.65), followed by T₅ (11.52), whereas the lowest (5.84) was noted in T₁. At 120 DAS, the maximum number of leaves (14.88) was recorded under T₆, followed by T₅ (14.14) and T₃ (14.10), while the minimum (7.81) was recorded in T₁. Overall, T₆ was found superior at all stages due to better nutrient availability and improved physical properties of the media, enhancing vegetative growth. Similar results were reported by Parasana et al. (2013) [12] in mango, Parmar et al. (2019) [13] custard apple, Gawankar et al. (2019) [7] in Jackfruit, Lad et al. (2020) [10] in mango and Pradhan et al.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementWe sincerely express our gratitude for the valuable guidance and supervision provided by Dr. Ram Kumar Dewangan, Assistant Professor, KDCHRS, Jagdalpur, Bastar (C.G.). We are also thankful to Dr. G.P. Nag, Dean, KDCHRS, Jagdalpur, Bastar (C.G.), and all the faculty members of KDCHRS for their support and encouragement throughout the research work.

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