Light quality and duration on the germination of dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) grown out on different potting mixture
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) is generally propagated by cuttings; however, its multiplication rate is slow. Dragon Fruit seeds are capable of self-pollinating and thus have a lower chance of contamination. Earlier investigations showed that the light spectrum plays a vital role in germination and seedling growth. This study determined the in vitro effect of light quality and lighting duration on dragon fruit seeds in terms of total germination (%) and plant height (mm). The other aim of this study was to know the effect of the light-exposed plant samples in terms of plant height (mm) using different potting mixtures.
Methodology: Each treatment was exposed to different lights which are red, blue, and white light as control and also the duration of 16 and 24 h light periods. Three potting mixtures were used to compare seedling growth; T1–50% coco peat: 25% vermicast: 25% compost; T2–25% coco peat: 25% vermicast: 50% compost, and T3–25% coco peat: 50% vermicast: 25% compost. The experiment was laid out in a two-factorial analysis arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD).
Main Results: Red light exposure for 24 h duration showed the highest germination percentage at 87.50 ± 1.00%. Moreover, the germination (P < 0.01) of dragon fruit seeds exposed to 24 h light duration, regardless of color, resulted in greater germination percentage (73.62 ± 0.02%) than when exposed only to 16 h light duration (44.41 ± 0.31%). The same red light at 24 h duration also produced the longest plant at 31.36 ± 1.77 mm. Furthermore, exposure to 24 h light duration, regardless of color, produced taller plants (P < 0.01) at 27.44 ± 0.29 mm when compared to those exposed to only 16 h light duration at 23.96 ± 0.31 mm.
Conclusions: Increased duration using red light enhanced the dragon fruit seed germination percentage and the average plant height. In addition, all potting mixtures utilized can support seedling growth of the dragon fruit resulting to 100% survival during grow-out.
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