Report 03. Short-term seedling field survival and growth as influenced by container type and potting mix

Abstract

This investigation tested the field performance of planting stock types used in the AOP. Field growth and survival of five species (chene, kapab, cassia, neem, and ced) were measured. Four container types (Winstrips, standard Rootrainers, Rootrainer Deep 5s, and Sacks) and three potting mixes (Gromix, Haiti mix, and Neg mix) were tested, as were direct seeding and stump planting for some species. Planting stock types were planted in a completely random design on both a good site and a poor site. Three months after outplanting, the best performers were seedlings from Sacks. Out of all possible post-planting measurements, Sack seedlings performed better than seedlings from other containers 42% of the time, and never performed more poorly than other seedlings. Differences were not common among the other three container types, and followed no standard pattern when they occurred. In particular, although Rootrainer seedlings tended to be smaller than those from Deep 5s, differences between Rootrainers and Deep 5s were not biologically important. Potting mix had little effect on three-month results, but occasionally appeared to interact strongly with container type. Direct seeding was not successful in this study, but should be tested in a setting that more closely resembles actual operations. Neem and cassia stumps survived adequately and grew well, however. They tended to not perform as well as containerized seedlings, but their performance was not different from seedlings produced in rigid containers in most cases.

Esperyans sa-a te fèt pou èseyé kèk teknik pou fè ti pyebwa nan developman jaden. Nou té meziré ki jan senk espès (nim, kasya, kapab, chèn, ak sèd) té chapé. Nou té èseyé kat kalité vèso (Winstrip, Woutrenè pa fon, Woutrenè fon, ak Sachè plastik) ak twa kalité miks (Gromiks, Ayiti miks, ak Neg miks). Ak kèk èspès nou té simen Semans dirèk ou nou tè plantè Chouk. Nou tè fé ésayaj ni nan jaden gra ni nan jaden meg. Twa mwa pi ta nou wè pyebwa ki té soti nan Saché plastik té chapé pi byen pasé tout lot pyebwa ki té planté yo. Nou pat jwenn ampil difèrans nan ti pyebwa ki té soti nan lot vèso yo. Pyebwa ki té soti nan Woutrenè pa fon té soti pi piti pasé sa ki té soti nan Woutrenè fon, men pat gen ampil difèrens. Miks la pat fè ampil èfè sou twa mwa yo, men gen lè sa té depen sou kalité vèso ki té sevi avèk li. Simen Semans dirèk pat maché byen, men nou dwé éseyé li nan yon ésperyans ki pi samblé jaden peyizan. Ni Chouk nim ni Chouk kasya té byen pousé men pa si byen pyebwa ki soti nan Woutrenè è Winstrip. Pa gen gwo difèrans ent ti pyebwa ki té vini nan Chouk ou sak soti nan Woutrenè ou Winstrip.