ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF USING PINE BARK MIXED WITH PEAT MOSS AS A NURSERY GROWTH MEDIUM FOR PINUS CARIBAEA

Abstract

Tree nurseries in Uganda use conventional growth medium comprising mycorrhizal soils, loam and sandy soils mixed in a ratio of 3:1:1 to raise Pinus caribaea seedlings. Pinus caribaea is among the leading plantation tree species planted. However, there are increasing concerns on the quality of seedlings being raised in the tree nurseries. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of pine bark-peat moss mixture as a growth medium for raising quality seedlings of Pinus caribaea seedlings. A completely randomized experimental design was set up at Busoga Forest Company tree nursery in Mayuge district. The water infiltration rate in the growing medium, water holding capacity of the growing medium, germination percentage and survival rate of Pinus caribaea seedlings in the medium were determined for the pine barkpeat moss growth medium and compared with the conventional growth medium. An independent t-test was used to test the difference in the means of infiltration rates, water holding capacity, germination percentage, and survival rate between the conventional and pine barkpeat moss growth media. Infiltration rate, water holding capacity, germination percentage and survival rate significantly varied between the pine bark-peat moss growth medium and the conventional growth medium. Pine bark-peat moss growth medium indicated a higher germination percentage and survival rate of the pine seedlings compared to the control. The study recommended that use of pine bark-peatmoss medium should be adopted for raising Pinus cariabaea and also be testing for other tree species.