Influence of pot design and microbial bioinoculants on early growth of pecan (Carya illinoinensis) seedlings

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ÇAKIR S. E., Tozlu i., gubbuk h.

Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences, cilt.39, sa.0, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)

Özet

The process of growth from seed to grafting takes a long time in traditional seedling production in pecan. In addition, pecan orchards are currently established with bare roots, which reduces the planting interval while establishing an orchard. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of microbial fertilizers (Vitormone and Megaflu), mycorrhiza (truffle) alone or in combination with two different pot types (standard and air pruned) on the development of seedlings in pecan cultivar ‘Wichita’. A mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculite was used as a substrate. After the transfer of the seedlings to the pot, microbial fertilizers and mycorrhiza were applied once a week through a drip irrigation system for 5 weeks. Stem diameter, stem length, number of leaves, plant internode distance, fresh and dry weights of above and below ground parts were measured during the seedling growing stage. The results showed that the use of Vitormone + truffle combination significantly enhanced growth, producing the highest stem diameter (5.46 mm), stem length (37.16 cm), internode distance (2.41 cm), and leaf number (15.57), compared to the control (4.43 mm, 22.75 cm, 1.80 cm, and 12.54, respectively. Plants grown in standard pots exhibited greater stem diameter (4.90 mm), longer stem length (28.51 cm), and higher root dry weight (3.71 g) compared to those grown in air-pruned pots (4.71 mm, 26.67 cm, and 2.89 g, respectively) At the end of the experiment, the combination of Vitormone with mycorrhiza at a rate of 10% in standard pots was recommended for pecan seedling production.