Pengaruh Media semai Terhadap Pertumbuhan Pelita (Eucalyptus pellita F.Muell)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Forest is one of the natural resources which give a lot of benefit for human welfare. Development of plantation forest is expected to serve as substitute for natural forest in supplying wood. Eucalyptus pellita is one of the fast growing-species which has a potential to be developed in plantation forest. Plantation forest always involves the activity of nursery. The use of top soil as growing media in nursery causes soil degradation in the area where the top soil is collected. The objective of this research was learning the effect of various nursery media (as substitutes for soil) on the growth of Eucalyptus pellita seedling. MATERIALS AND METHOD. Materials used in this research were Eucalyptus pellita seed, top soil, sheep manure, compost, rice husk, polybag, cocopeat, peat moss, vermiculite, sawdust, attachment label, and germination box. Experimental design in this research was Randomized Complete Block Design. There were 20 kinds of nursery media (treatments) in this study. Each treatment had 4 replications (blocks). Each treatment in each block comprised 5 polybags. Every polybag was filled with one plant of Eucalyptus pellita. Total number of polybag used was 400 polybags. The variables observed were seedling height (cm), number of leaves (which were measured once a week) and seedling diameter (cm) in the end of experiment period. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Application of top soil and sheep manure with volume ratio of 2:1 (M5) produced the highest height growth. Media (cocopeat, peat moss, vermiculite =2:2:1) and sheep manure with volume ratio of 2:1 (M20) showed highest diameter growth. Media of cocopeat and compost with volume ratio of 2:1 (M8) showed the greatest increase in number of leaves. Media of (cocopeat, peat moss, vermiculite =2:2:1) and sheep manure with volume ratio of 1:1 (M19) produced the smallest height / diameter ratio.