Using Shrimp Paste, Vermicompost and Vitamin-B1 Under Different Media for Promoting Root Growth of Stem Cuttings in Dragon Fruit (Hylocereusundatus)

Abstract

Plant propagation is important factors in plant production. Many problems have been arisen in dragon fruit propagation, such as the rooting inability and the yellowing of cuttings. To solve this problem, the understanding how to choose suitable growing media and chemical control is needed. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different growing media compositions on using shrimp paste, vermicompost and vitamin-B1+amino acid for promoting root growth of dragon fruit cutting was studied at Faculty of Agricultural Technology Songkhla Rajabhat University, Muang Songkhla, Songkhla province, southern Thailand from February to June, 2019. The experimental design was CRD growing media compositions with eight treatments and sampling for five replications namely T1 (shrimp paste soaking + coco peat), T2 (shrimp paste soaking + soil-based mix), T3 (vitamin-B1+amino acid + coco peat), T4 (vitaminB1+amino acid + soil-based mix), T5 (vermicompost + coco peat), T6 (vermicompost + soilbased mix), T7 (coco peat) and T8 (soil-based mix). The study revealed that vermicompost, vitamin-B1+amino acid and shrimp paste treated stem cuttings gave better growth root system. Cuttings treated with vermicompost + coco peat produced the best results in number of root, number of shoots and the lengths of the roots. Thus, it was concluded that vermicompost was better growing media than other medias for propagating dragon fruit by cuttings.