Effect of Mycorrhiza on Vegetative Growth of Mandarin’s (Citrus reticulata Blanco) Seedlings

Abstract

Citrus is among the top fruits which are cultivated around the world, and among citrus, Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) comes first and belongs to the family Rutaceae. A field experiment was conducted in Gorkha, Nepal, from April 2021 to July 2022, to study the effect of different doses of Mycorrhiza in the vegetative growth seedlings. The experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatments and four replications. The treatments were named T1: Control, T2: 3g/seedling, T3: 6g/seedling, T4: 9g/seedling, and T5: 11g/seedling, respectively. Eighteen months old seedlings of local Mandarin were uprooted and transplanted in finely pulverized and prepared seedbeds, and Mycorrhiza was added subsequently. Data was collected for plant height, number of leaves, and stem diameter. Data analysis was done through Microsoft- Excel, RStudio, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results of the study showed that plants treated with 9g of Mycorrhiza produced the highest number of measured parameters compared to plants treated with other doses. Control treatment (0g) produces the least number of plant leaves, Height, and stem diameter, and it can be concluded that a mycorrhizal dose of 9g is the best for the vegetative growth of Mandarin.