Abstract:

This study aims to screen out the high-qualified substrate for bamboo seedling. Taking Phyllostachys bissetii as trial material, a pot experiment was conducted with five different container nursery substrates composed of different proportions of peat, perlite and wormcast (CK, peat: perlite: wormcast=10:5:0; Q1, peat: perlite: wormcast=7:5:3; Q2, peat: perlite: wormcast=5:5:5; Q3, peat: perlite: wormcast=3:5:7; Q4, peat: perlite: wormcast=0:5:10), to determine the effects of different container nursery substrates on root length, biomass, and the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as the growth of ground diameter and plant height of P. bissetii. The results indicated that the indexes of the root length, the biomass and nitrogen content of aboveground and belowground, and root shoot ratio of P. bissetii cultivated with Q1 substrate all reached the maximum, which had statistically significant difference with other substrates. In the meantime, the number of branches and leaves of P. bissetii in the Q1 substrate was also the most. Furthermore, the ground diameter increased by 14.51%, 14.96%, 5.80% and 11.03% compared with that of CK, Q2, Q3 and Q4 respectively, and the plant height increased by 19.34%, 18.91%, 10.16% and 11.38% respectively. As a result, the container nursery substrate with the proportion of peat: perlite: wormcast of 7:5:3 is the most suitable for the growth of P. bissetii.

Key words: Phyllostachys bissetii, container nursery substrate, wormcast, biomass, root shoot ratio