R. Rashika* and P. Karuppaiah
Department of Horticulture (Floriculture and Landscaping), Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar-608002, Tamil Nadu, India. Corresponding e-mail: vpkhortic@yahoo.com, rashikaravi0506199@gmail.com
Abstract: The quality of cut foliage is significantly influenced by growing media, with traditional media such as red earth and sand being non-renewable and unsustainable. This study aims to determine the sustainable, eco-friendly substrates for
Dracaena reflexa cv. Song of India cut foliage to increase the growth, yield, and quality. The experiment was laid out in CRBD with 9 treatments and 3 replications, utilized various combinations of garden soil, red earth, sand, farmyard manure (FYM), burnt rice husk, and cocopeat. Among the different treatments, T8 (Garden soil + burnt rice husk + FYM + coco peat at 2:1:1:1 v/v) showed the best performance in growth and yield attributes,
viz., plant height, spread, leaf numbers, leaf area, chlorophyll content, root length, and fresh weight. Yield and quality characteristics like number of cut stems, visual scoring, freshness index, colour index, and vase life were also noted as high in T8. Control (T0)-Garden soil recorded the minimum across these parameters. These findings indicate that combination of garden soil, burnt rice husk, FYM, and cocopeat is the most effective and sustainable alternative for improving the yield, growth, and quality of
Dracaena reflexa cv. Song of India cut foliage.
