Effect of different growing media and containers on germination and establishment of seedlings of papaya (Carica papaya L.) Cv. Madhubindu.

The study was carried out to study the effect of growing media and containers on germination and establishment of seedlings of papaya (Carica papaya L.). For germination, five types of media and three types of containers were studied. This experiment was conducted in a Complete Randomized Block Design (Factorial) with fifteen treatment combinations replicated thrice. The result showed that media M2-Soil+ Sand+Vermicompost (1: 1: 1)gave significantly maximum germination (96.11%), seed vigour index I (3745.51), establishment in nursery (93.33%) at 30 DAS as well as establishment in main field (88.89%) at 30 DAT. This media (M2) also gave maximum net return (’1772) as well as net BCR (1.72) per 1000 seedlings. The medium M1-Soil + Cocopeat + Vermicompost (1: 1: 1) took significantly minimum days (7.00 days) for initiation of germination, while 50 per cent germination was significantly earliest (8.22 days) in the medium M4 i.e. Soil + Cocopeat + Vermicompost + Sand (1: 1: 1: 1). Similarly among different containers, papaya seeds sown in the Polythene bag (C3) took significantly minimum days for initiation of germination(7.13 days) as well as for 50 per cent germination(8.00 days) and significantly highest establishment (85.33%) in main field at 30 DAT. However, the Earthen pot (C1) gave significantly maximum germination (95.33%), establishment in nursery (92.66%) and seed vigour index I (3709.32).