This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of various soilless media on the germination and seedling growth of tomato Solanum lycopersicum L., cucumber Cucumis sativus L., and lettuce Lactuca sativa L., aiming to address the issue of low germination percentages and poor seedling growth in conventional media. The controlled laboratory tests used seven different media treatments in the first trial, including silt (control, T₁), cocopeat (T₂), compost (T₃), compost and silt (2:1, T₄), compost and silt (3:1, T₅), sawdust (T₆), and cfocopeat, perlite and vermiculite (3:1:1, T₇) combinations. In the second trial, the treatments were silt (control, T₁), cocopeat and silt (1:1, T₂), compost: silt (1:1.5, T₃), compost: silt (1:2, T₄), compost and silt (1:1, T₅), sawdust and silt (1:1, T₆), cocopeat, perlite and vermiculite (3:1:1, T₇). Key growth characteristics, like seed germination (%), seedling height and leaf length, were defined using a completely randomised design with three replications. The results indicate that the combination of cocopeat, perlite, and vermiculite (3:1:1) consistently produced the highest germination rates. Seedling maximum heights of 50 mm, 118 mm, and 59 mm were observed for tomato, cucumber, and lettuce, respectively. Soilless media is such a reliable means of crop establishment and growth that these results demonstrate its effectiveness in improving situations where soil fertility and water shortages are challenges.
Yaqub et al. (Fri,) studied this question.