Study of Different Rooting Media Compositions and Germination Rate of Papaya Seedlings var. Red Sun (Dwarf) under Prayagraj Agro-climatic Conditions

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the research field, Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute (NAI), Faculty of Agriculture (FoA), Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (India), during the kharif season in 2025. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Block Design (CRD), consisting of a total of 16 different treatment combinations, including the control, with each treatment replicated thrice. Treatment T15: Soil + FYM + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (1:1:1:1) + GA3 (200 ppm seed treatment) recorded germination (96.67%), days taken for completion of germination (13.40 days), seedling height (28.51 cm), number of leaves per seedling (17.46), diameter of seedling (13.93 mm), leaf area (105.77 cm2), chlorophyll content (SPAD value: 64.16), length of the longest tap root (7.55 cm), fresh weight of shoots (18.55 g), dry weight of shoots (2.51 g), fresh weight of root (5.54 g), dry weight of root (1.31 g), shoot:root ratio (0.52), Seed Vigour Index (I) (2756.53), Seed Vigour Index (II) (369.06), survival (94.4%), and mortality (5.5%), and was significantly superior overall to the other treatments. This study provides a practical approach to papaya seed germination and the production of healthy seedlings using suitable rooting media compositions with appropriate proportions of organic amendments, such as farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost, and cocopeat, to improve nutrient availability, aeration, and moisture retention, together with GA3 (200 ppm seed treatment). The findings may also provide a foundation for future research on rooting media, germination, and growth regulators for papaya and other horticultural crops under diverse agro-climatic conditions.