R. L. Shrestha*, K. P. Paudyal** , B Chalise*, H. Subedi* and J. L. Mandal*
*National Citrus Research Program, Dhankuta
**Horticulture Research Division, Khumaltar, Lalitpur
Abstract
Citrus fruils are grafted in trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliate L) due to good fruit quality, dwarfness, tolerant to soil born disease, cold and hardiness. Slow growth rate of trifoliate orange is one of the serious problems of citrus nursery owners. It takes more than three year to attain the grafting requirement for sapling production. Facing this problem an experiment was conducted on trifoliate orange to accelerate the growth rate of seedlings. Seedlings are grown in different media under three different environment condition i.e. polyhouse, plastic tunnel and open field condition in NCRP, Dhankuta in Fiscal Year 2063/ 64 and 064/65. Seeds were grown in five different media (five treatments) and replicated four times. Highest seedling height (83.67 cm) and diameter (7.14 mm) was observed in polyhouse condition with vermin compost + soil mixed (1:1) treatment where as lowest height (28.20 cm) and diameter (3.58 mm) observed in open field condition in the same treatment within one year. The result shows that, highly significant effect of environmental condition on seedling growth. Seedlings height of trifoliate orange is almost three times and diameter was two times greater in polyhouse as compared to open field. Therefore, result of this experiment guided to the nurseryman's, to grow the trifoliate orange seedling in the polyhouse condition with soil and vermicompost mixed media (1:1) to accelerate growth of the seedlings and to get stander height and diameter within one-year period. This technology will be applicable to the nursery mans to improve the quality of saplings in the nursery.
Keywords: Trifoliate orange, Citrus, nursery, media, polypot, seedling, rootstock, vermicompost, polyhouse.