Browsing by Author "Ranathunga, R. M. T. K."

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Effect of organic amendments for growth enhancement of ornamental cactus: Mammillaria prolifera (P. Mill.)
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Ranathunga, R. M. T. K.; Ratnayake, R. M. C. S.
Cactus is a popular group of house plants in the world due to their attractive morphology. Among the ornamental cacti, Mammillaria prolifera (P. Mill.) is widely cultivated in different geographical regions of the world. Chemical fertilizers are excessively applied in cacti nurseries and their toxic traces such as arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and mercury accumulate in water resources and soil causing environmental pollution. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a novel organic liquid fertilizer (OLF) to enhance the growth of M. prolifera, as a substitute for chemical fertilizers. The OLF was prepared by aerobically digesting a mixture of Tithonia diversifolia leaves, coconut husk ash, rock phosphate, and dried cow dung in 6.0 L of water for six weeks. 5%, 15%, and 25% OLF concentrations were used as the OLF treatments along with “Lonzin” as the chemical liquid fertilizer (CLF). Samesized M. prolifera stems were transplanted in 10 cm diameter pots filled with a cactus growth medium prepared by mixing coarse sand, sand, and compost. After one month of growing, M. prolifera plants were randomly assigned to OLF treatments and CLF treatment with 15 replicates. Treated plants were placed in a plant house at 27 0C temperature and 60% relative humidity. All the treatments were applied once a week for six months. After six months of the experiment, the height and width of the mother stem, number of phylloclades, number of flowers, time for first flowering, and root length were measured. Data were analyzed using, analyzed by one-way ANOVA at α = 0.05 and Turkey pairwise comparison test using “R” software (version 4.2.2). Plants treated with 5% OLF showed significantly better growth metrics including mean height (6.760 ± 0.942 cm), width (2.013 ± 0.344 cm), number of phylloclades (12.33 ± 5.1) number of flowers (2.07 ± 0.99) and root length (7.061 ± 1.24 cm) while no significant differences were observed between the 15% OLF, 25% OLF, and CLF treatments. M. prolifera plants treated with 25% OLF recorded the lowest mean duration (15.3 ± 4.2 weeks) for the first flower formation due to the appropriate nutrient content for flowering. Based on the growth performance data, 5% OLF treatment significantly enhanced the growth of M. Prolifera plants. Hence, 5% OLF concentration can be considered as the optimum concentration for the growth enhancement of M. prolifera cactus.
Formulation of novel organic liquid fertilizer for growth enhancement of ornamental cactus: Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Ranathunga, R. M. T. K.; Ratnayake, R. M. C. S.
The ornamental plant industry is one of the world's most commercially significant plant-based industries. Among the ornamental plants, cacti are popular due to their attractive plant morphology. Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff. is an expensive and popular house plant in Sri Lanka, and it is grown at large scales to fulfill the high market demand. Growers use excessive amounts of phosphorous-rich chemical fertilizers to enhance the growth of cacti, and they may cause both human and environmental health issues either directly or indirectly. This study aimed to formulate an organic liquid fertilizer (OLF) to provide nutrients for O.microdasys as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Hence, the study evaluated the effect of a novel OLF and its optimum concentration for the growth performances of O. microdasys. To prepare the OLF, fresh Tithonia diversifolia leaves, dried cow dung, coconut husk ash, and powdered rock phosphate (1.5:1.25:1.25:1 ratio) were aerobically digested in well water (6.0 L) for six weeks at 27 °C. Same-sized, O. microdasys cladodes were grown in 5 cm diameter plastic pots (one cladode per each) containing cacti growth medium (coarse sand, river sand, and compost in a 4.1.1 ratio). One month after growth, O. microdasys plants were treated with 5%, 15%, and 25% of the concentrations of OLF once a week with 15 replicates. Chemical liquid fertilizer (CLF) "Lonzin" was used as the positive control, and well water was the negative control. Treated O. microdasys plants were arranged in a randomized block design in a plant house, and the pots were rotated clockwise every two weeks to obtain adequate sunlight. The growth performances of the O. microdasys plants were evaluated after six months by measuring the plant height, number of cladodes, cladode's length, width, and root length. All the data were subjected to the One-way ANOVA at p = 0.05 followed by Tukey pairwise comparison tests using the R statistical software. The lowest mean height (7.6 ± 1.0 cm), number of daughter cladodes (1.3 ± 0.8), root length (7.8 ± 1.9 cm), cladode's length (4.0 ± 0.8 cm), and cladode's width (2.7 ± 0.3 cm) of O. microdasys plants were recorded by the negative control. The growth performances of the O. microdasys plants under OLF treatments were significantly higher (One-way ANOVA, p < 0.05) than the CLF. Among the concentrations tested, the 5% OLF concentration significantly enhanced the plant height (12.7 ± 1.8 cm), number of daughter cladodes (3.6 ± 1.4), cladode's length (5.0 ± 0.8 cm) and cladode's width (3.6 ± 0.7 cm). Therefore, 5% OLF can be recommended as the optimum OLF concentration for the growth enhancement of O. microdasys.
Influence of mucilage of Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (L.), Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench and Neolitsea cassia (L.) Kosterm on seed germination and seedling growth of Vigna radiata (L.)
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Ranathunga, R. M. T. K.; Nadungamuwa, D. M. H. S. K.; Ratnayake, R. M. C. S.
Crop seed germination is one of the fundamental determinants of agricultural productivity and a process influenced by various biotic and abiotic factors. Understanding and optimizing seed germination immensely helps to enhance crop yields and ensure food security via better crop establishment and growth. This study aimed to identify the most effective botanical mucilage extract for enhancing the germination and seedling growth of Vigna radiata among various leaf and pod extracts. Pure leaf mucilage of Aloe vera (T1), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. (T2), Neolitsea cassia (T3), and mature pod mucilage of Abelmoschus esculentus (T4) were used as the treatments along with uncoated V. radiata seeds as the control (T0). Leaves of T1 – T3 and mature pods of T4 were collected, washed, ground, and the paste was squeezed to obtain pure mucilage extracts. Surfaced sterilized V. radiata seeds were immersed in the T1 – T4 for ten minutes and placed in sterilized petri dishes layered with moistened filter paper. They were incubated at 27 oC under a relative humidity of 83 %. The number of germinated seeds was counted daily and the mean germination rate (MGR), germination time (MGT), germination index (MGI), germination energy (MGE), and coefficient of velocity of germination (MCVG) of V. radiata were calculated. The root and hypocotyl lengths of seedlings were measured during the final data collection. Six replicates were performed for each treatment and control with 120 V. radiata seeds. Based on the number of germinated seeds, T3 was identified as the least active mucilage extraction, and the same experiment was repeated with 1:1 diluted mucilage extraction (T5) under the same conditions. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (at α = 0.05) and PCA in 'R' software. T2 significantly enhanced seed germination recording the highest MGI (19.1 ± 0.88), MCVG (98.3 ± 2.89 %), and lowest MGT (0.7 ± 0.05 days) while T3 reduced both germination and seedling growth (p < 0.05). According to PCA, both A. vera and H. rosa sinensis were identified as the most effective treatments. T3 and T4 were identified as the least effective and moderately effective extracts respectively. The extract of A. vera was 24.31% more effective and the extract of H. rosa-sinensis was 42.25% more effective in promoting the rapid germination of V. radiata seeds compared to the control. The study concluded that H. rosa-sinensis and A. vera can be used to enhance V. radiata seed germination as lowcost alternatives to chemical seed germination enhancers.