Effect of Different Growing Media on Shoot Growth of Dragon Fruit Cuttings [Hylocereus undatus L. (Haworth) Britton & Rose]

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out under open field conditions at Horticulture Research Farm, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh, India, to determine the effect of different growing media on the shoot growth of dragon fruit cuttings (Hylocereus undatus L.) during the years 2022–23. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RBD) with three replications. There were 8 treatments, viz., T1-Soil, T2-Sand, T3-Vermicompost, T4-Coco Peat, T5-Farmyard Manure, T6-Soil+Sand+Farmyard Manure, T7-Soil+ Sand+ Vermicompost and T8-Soil+Vermicompost+Coco Peat. Treatments have shown significant differences among the growth parameters in terms of number of days taken for sprouting, percent sprouting, number of sprouts per cutting, shoot diameter, length of sprout, number of spines/areoles, fresh weight of shoot, and dry weight of shoot. Among the treatment combinations, the least number of days taken for sprouting, maximum percent sprouting, maximum number of sprouts per cutting, maximum sprout and shoot length of stem cutting, maximum increase in diameter of shoot, maximum number of spines/areoles, maximum fresh weight of shoot, and maximum dry weight of shoot were found in treatment T7-Soil+ Sand+ Vermicompost, followed by T8-Soil+ Vermicompost+. Coco peat, while the minimum has been recorded in T1-Soil.