Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri Lanka

Most of the dry zone forests in Sri Lanka are arisen after unsustainable farming practices. Therefore, the natural regeneration of plant species in these forests reported to be very poor due to the reduced soil fertility. This study was conducted to find possible measures for the successful seed ger...

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Main Authors: Neelamanie Yapa, Nadeesha Jayakody, Asanka Madhushan, Anuhansi Pelawatta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hasan Eleroğlu 2023-02-01
Series:Turkish Journal of Agriculture: Food Science and Technology
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Online Access:http://www.agrifoodscience.com/index.php/TURJAF/article/view/5639
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author Neelamanie Yapa
Nadeesha Jayakody
Asanka Madhushan
Anuhansi Pelawatta
author_facet Neelamanie Yapa
Nadeesha Jayakody
Asanka Madhushan
Anuhansi Pelawatta
author_sort Neelamanie Yapa
collection DOAJ
description Most of the dry zone forests in Sri Lanka are arisen after unsustainable farming practices. Therefore, the natural regeneration of plant species in these forests reported to be very poor due to the reduced soil fertility. This study was conducted to find possible measures for the successful seed germination and seedling establishment of common dry zone forest tree species by sustainable soil fertility management. A pot trial was carried out in a greenhouse at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University, Mihintale, Sri Lanka. The experiment comprised of 128 pots and four replicates. Pots were assigned with different soil fertility managements: T0: control (Top soil only), T1: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), T2: a traditional mixed microbial culture (Jeewamurthum), T3: Compost, T4: Biochar, T5: T1+T2, T6: T1+T3, T7: T1+T4; and different forest plant species: Manilkara hexandra, Feronia limonia, Pterospermum conscens and Bauhinia racemosa. Seed germination percentage was measured two weeks after sowing, and shoot biomass, relative plant growth rate, and AMF colonization percentage were measured after four months of germination. The results revealed that inoculation of AMF enhance the seed germination percentage of all the selected plant species. Both sole and combined application of AMF and compost gives more benefits to all the tested plant species by enhancing all the measured growth parameters. The findings of present study would be useful in reforestation programs of dry zone forests in Sri Lanka by practicing sustainable procedures.
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publisher Hasan Eleroğlu
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spelling doaj-art-fbdb7437199b468cac925cb8a4e824742025-08-20T03:06:19ZengHasan EleroğluTurkish Journal of Agriculture: Food Science and Technology2148-127X2023-02-0111228729110.24925/turjaf.v11i2.287-291.56394422Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri LankaNeelamanie Yapa0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6663-0433Nadeesha Jayakody1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1505-3039Asanka Madhushan2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3256-6338Anuhansi Pelawatta3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3256-6338Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale 50300 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale 50300 Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura 50000 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale 50300 Most of the dry zone forests in Sri Lanka are arisen after unsustainable farming practices. Therefore, the natural regeneration of plant species in these forests reported to be very poor due to the reduced soil fertility. This study was conducted to find possible measures for the successful seed germination and seedling establishment of common dry zone forest tree species by sustainable soil fertility management. A pot trial was carried out in a greenhouse at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University, Mihintale, Sri Lanka. The experiment comprised of 128 pots and four replicates. Pots were assigned with different soil fertility managements: T0: control (Top soil only), T1: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), T2: a traditional mixed microbial culture (Jeewamurthum), T3: Compost, T4: Biochar, T5: T1+T2, T6: T1+T3, T7: T1+T4; and different forest plant species: Manilkara hexandra, Feronia limonia, Pterospermum conscens and Bauhinia racemosa. Seed germination percentage was measured two weeks after sowing, and shoot biomass, relative plant growth rate, and AMF colonization percentage were measured after four months of germination. The results revealed that inoculation of AMF enhance the seed germination percentage of all the selected plant species. Both sole and combined application of AMF and compost gives more benefits to all the tested plant species by enhancing all the measured growth parameters. The findings of present study would be useful in reforestation programs of dry zone forests in Sri Lanka by practicing sustainable procedures.http://www.agrifoodscience.com/index.php/TURJAF/article/view/5639amf biochar compost jeewamurthum amf colonization
spellingShingle Neelamanie Yapa
Nadeesha Jayakody
Asanka Madhushan
Anuhansi Pelawatta
Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri Lanka
Turkish Journal of Agriculture: Food Science and Technology
amf
biochar
compost
jeewamurthum
amf colonization
title Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri Lanka
title_full Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri Lanka
title_fullStr Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri Lanka
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri Lanka
title_short Effect of Biofertilizers and Organic Amendments on Germination and Seedling Growth of Common Dry Zone Forest Species in Sri Lanka: Sustainable Reforestation Practices in Sri Lanka
title_sort effect of biofertilizers and organic amendments on germination and seedling growth of common dry zone forest species in sri lanka sustainable reforestation practices in sri lanka
topic amf
biochar
compost
jeewamurthum
amf colonization
url http://www.agrifoodscience.com/index.php/TURJAF/article/view/5639
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AT asankamadhushan effectofbiofertilizersandorganicamendmentsongerminationandseedlinggrowthofcommondryzoneforestspeciesinsrilankasustainablereforestationpracticesinsrilanka
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