Abstract:

To study the influence of different formula media on growth of Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis seedlings and provide suitable cultivation medium, 8 formula media mixed of peat moss, fermentation products of organic litter, coconut chaff, pine bark, yellow sand, pearlite and natural soil were used. The physical and chemical properties of mixed media were detected as well as the morphological, growth and physiological indexes of seedlings. Correlation analysis was conducted. The results showed that there existed extremely and significantly positive correlations between total porosity, capillary porosity and leave number or maximum root length (P＜0.05), while significantly negative correlations between electric conductivity index and dry weight of root, rootshoot ratio or fresh weight of leave and also between total potassium of soil and fresh weight of aboveground parts or underground parts. It indicated that growth could be improved by promoting aeration status of medium while with electric conductivity index increasing, dry matter accumulation being restrained and the rootshoot ratio decreasing. Potassium nutrition inhibited the growth of both aboveground parts and underground parts. There existed extremely significant difference of the tested indexes between different media treatments (P＜0.01). Seedlings on most of the formula media grew better than that on the natural soil contrast. The comprehensive evaluation of morphological and growth indexes indicated that the medium mixed with peat moss, fermentation products of organic litter, coconut chaff, pine bark and yellow sand at the ratio of 2:1:1:1:1 presented the highest value of 0.91. Next was the media of peat moss, coconut chaff and yellow sand mixed at the ratio of 2:1:1 with the value of 0.66. Therefore these two formula media are suggested for the cultivation of Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis.

Key words: Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis, cultivation media, growth index, physiological index, total porosity, comprehensive evaluation