Comparison of Three Irrigation Systems for the BX-1 system for Nursery Seedlings

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1 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2: (216) ISSN: Mlysin Society of Soil Science Comprison of Three Irrigtion Systems for the BX-1 system for Nursery Seedlings 1 Nyi, A., 2 C.B.S. Teh, 2 M.H.A. Husni, 2 A.H. Jfr nd M.S. Isnr 2 1 Deprtment of Soil Science Fculty of Agriculture, Federl University Dutse (FUD), Nigeri 2 Deprtment of Lnd Mngement, Fculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putr Mlysi (UPM) ABSTRACT The BX-1 system (consisting of the BX-1 medi nd RB 9 tue) is new plnting system introduced y privte compny to replce the growth of plnts in soilfilled polygs. Different irrigtion systems influence plnt growth differently. The min ojective of this study ws to compre nd determine the est of three wter irrigtion systems: overhed sprinkler (SPR), drip (DRP) irrigtion, nd the cpillry wick (WCK) system, for the BX-1 system. The test crop ws wter spinch (Ipomoe reptns), nd the performnce of these three irrigtion systems ws compred with one nother in terms of their effects on plnt growth, mount of wter nd nutrient losses vi leching, wter productivity nd wter use efficiency. The field experiment ws crried out under rin shelter t Field No. 15, Agroio Complex, Universiti Putr Mlysi (2 o N, 11 o 44.7 E), for 5 weeks from July to August, 214. The experimentl lyout ws the RCBD with the tretments eing the three irrigtion systems with three replictions per tretment. Ech experimentl unit ws plnted with 2 wter spinch plnts. Results from the study showed tht the cpillry wick system produced the lest lechte volume nd nutrients loss. In terms of growth, the WCK system gve the highest growth for roots dry weight nd lef re. This ws ecuse the WCK tretment hd the lowest mount of lechte nd nutrient losses, so it hd the highest nutrient content in the plnt for N, P, nd K, ut there ws no difference (p>.5) in the C nd Mg content. WCK lso hd the highest wter use efficiency, ut there ws no difference in wter productivity etween the three tretments. WCK consumed the highest mount of wter (ut hd lest wter wstge) to produce the highest mount of roots iomss nd lef re compred to DRP nd SPR tretments. Thus, it is suggested tht the WCK system e used with the BX-1 system s it ws found to e the most effective irrigtion system. Keywords: BX-1 medi, RB 9 tue, overhed sprinkler, drip irrigtion, cpillry wick irrigtion. INTRODUCTION Plnt growth potentil is lrgely controlled y the environment tht the medi provides for root growth. Roots need wter, ir, nutrients nd enough spce *Corresponding uthor : jv23@gmil.com

2 Nyi et l. to develop (Ngeswr nd Jessy, 27). Choosing the most suitle growing medi for the chievement of successful plnt production is very importnt in tue growth. Enough wter ppliction to plnts generlly elimintes wter stress, which ffects ll plnt functions including wter nd nutrient uptke. The importnt criteri for successful rooting is relile rooting medium. Growing medi re the mterils similr to soil tht physiclly support plnts growth. A lnce etween ville wter nd ertion in the growth medium is essentil for production of qulity plnts in continers (Ekpo nd Sit, 21). The use of lterntive soilless medi for the production of potted plnts needs n understnding of their physicl nd chemicl ehviour to select the pproprite conditions for plnt growth. Ornmentl plnts require growing medi with dequte wter retention nd ertion (Erstd nd Gislerod, 1994) nd routine fertilistion tht gurntees continuous nutrient supply (Mcz et l., 21). BX-1 medi, mde from Ltvi, nd imported into Mlysi y privte compny, consists of 1% neutrlised white pet, treted with n unstted slow relesing fertiliser nd lime. Wong et l., (213) reported tht oil plm seedlings rised under semi-flot condition in the BX-1 system hd significntly greter plnt height, more leves nd longer leves compred with those otined in the polyg system. RB 9 tue (Figure 1) is nother form of root triner which is rigid continer with internl verticl ris, which direct roots stright down to prevent spirl growth. The continers re set on frmes or eds ove the ground to llow ir-pruning of roots s they emerge from the continers. Figure 1: RB 9 tue courtesy of Humiox (M) Sdn. Bhd Due to undnt rin, most soil nutrients re leched from the soil nd s result, the plnt could fce nutrient deficiency. So selecting the est irrigtion system with proper time scheduling is one solution. 2 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

3 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery Wter is n essentil element for plnt growth. Ech crop needs n optimum mount of wter for growth nd development. In rid regions, irrigtion is the min source of wter for griculturl production while in semi-rid regions, much of griculture depends on unrelile rinfll. Depending on rinfll lone my not e sufficient to provide the much needed wter to crops. Becuse of the uncertinty of rinfll, irrigtion is required. In fct, irrigtion my e the only wy to mintin high nd sustinle griculturl productivity. Irrigtion wter hs lwys een in short supply, nd it is ecoming scrce commodity in mny regions nd even where it is ville, the cost of pumping nd/or trnsporttion my e high in mny loctions; moreover wter loss vries cross irrigtion systems. The growth of ruer seedlings is gretly influenced y their production conditions nd these rnge from irrigtion, soil or sustrte qulity, to dringe nd fertilistion. BX-1 system (RB 9 tur nd BX-1 growing medi) is new nursery plnting system, tht ims to replce the trditionl (polyg with soil) wy of rising seedlings. Utilistion of continer nurseries re eing developed rpidly in Mlysi nd the world t lrge, ecuse it gives etter productivity nd etter production of nursey seedlings. Different wter ppliction methods ffect the growth of nursery seedlings regrdless of source nd rte of nutrient solution (Argo nd Biernum, 1994). The enefits of growing seedling in continers re severl: esy hndling nd trnsporttion, less spce, rpid product rottion nd esy mrketing. Hence this system is eing dopted over field production. The introduction of BX-1 system rings severl enefits such s light weight nd compct design, eco-friendly s the continer cn e reused, nd reduction in lour work due to efficient design nd esy hndling. In contrst, the old conventionl polygs cuse negtive impct on the environment ecuse they cnnot e reused nd tke longer time to disintegrte. Others limittions of soilfilled polyg system includes occuption of more spce nd heviness. Wter spinch ws used s test crop ecuse of its ility to grow very fst nd its high demnd for wter nd nutrients. The min ojective of the study ws to compre three irrigtion systems (overhed sprinkler, drip irrigtion, cpillry wick system) for use in BX-1 system with wter spinch s test crop. The irrigtion systems were compred with one nother in terms of their effects on the growth, nutrient content, wter use efficiency nd productivity of wter spinch grown on BX-1 system. MATERIALS AND METHODS The experiment ws crried out in Field No. 15 Agroio Complex, under the rin-sheltere ( N nd E) in the Fculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putr Mlysi, Serdng, Selngor. Wter spinch (Ipomoe reptns) ws plnted in 71 cm 3 RB 9 tue filled with 18 g of BX-1 medi (white pet) s test crop. The exct composition of the medi is trde secret; informtion on the medi ws otined from the g lel. Ech tue ws plnted with four seeds, fter which two were removed (leving two plnts) one week fter germintion. The field experiment ws crried out for five weeks from July to August 214. Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

4 Nyi et l. The study ws conducted in Rndomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replictions nd three tretments: T1= Overhed Sprinkler Irrigtion (SPR); T2= Drip Irrigtion (DPR); nd T3= Cpillry Wick Irrigtion (WCK). Ech experiment plot consisted of single try or tue stnd tht ccommodted 1 RB 9 tues with 2 wter spinch (Ipomoe reptns) seedlings. The totl numer of wter spinch seedlings used were 2 plnts per plot x 9 plots or 18 plnts. Ech try stnd mesured 1.5 m long nd.5 m wide. Within the experimentl lock, ech tretment ws seprted from the other y width of 1.6 m, nd y length of 3.1m etween the locks. The totl re of the experiments ws out 5.29 m 2 (orders excluded). Wter flow from the overhed sprinklers ws djusted in such wy s to prevent the wter flling onto the neighouring plots. A plstic sheet ws ttched round the rin shelter to stop crosswind tht might distur the distriution of wter during irrigtion y the overhed sprinklers. Irrigtion ws crried out dily in the mornings for ll tretments except the cpillry wick system. A dily totl of 45 ml of wter ws supplied to ech seedling under SPR nd DRP while for WCK, known mount of wter ws pplied every dy in the PVC, to llow the wick to supply the wter to the plnts ecuse it is self wtering system. The PVC ws emptied every dy in order to determine how much ws tken up y the plnts; the wter uptke verged 53 ml per dy per tue. Wter uptke in the cpillry wick system could not e controlled s it is self wtering system where there is continuous wter uptke through the wick vi cpillry ction. Physicl Properties The wter content in growing medi ws mesured using moisture meter (FieldScout TDR 1-644FS, Spectrum Tecnology, Inc., USA) every week to monitor the moisture sttus of the medi. The BX-1 medi ws nlysed for its physicl nd chemicl properties. In terms of physicl nlysis, ulk density, moisture content, totl porosity nd wter retention of the medi were determined. Bulk density ws determined using the core method (Blke nd Hrtge, 1986). Wter retention ws determined using the pressure plte nd pressure memrne descried y Richrds nd Firemn (1943) nd Richrds (1947). Chemicl Properties Totl C, N nd S ws mesured using CNS nlyser (Nelson nd Sommers, 1982). Totl P, K, C nd Mg were nlysed using dry shing method. Autonlyser (AA) ws used to mesure totl phosphorus (P) while the content of potssium (K), clcium (C) nd mgnesium (Mg) content ws nlysed using the tomic sorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Ction exchnge cpcity (CEC) nd exchngele ses were determined y leching method using 1 M NH 4 OAc (ph 7) method (Thoms, 1982). The displced exchngele ses nd NH 4 + were determined using the AA nd AAS. The ph nd EC were lso determined in wter using 1: 5 medi: solution rtio. 22 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

5 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery For ech week for the five weeks of the experiment, lechte ws collected from ech tue, pooled, nd then nlysed for volume of lechte nd N, P, K, C, nd Mg nutrient content fter filtering. The nutrients N nd P were nlysed using utonlyser nd nutrients K, C nd Mg using AAS. The sme lechte ws lso mesured for ph nd EC. Ech week, plnt smples from two tues in ech experimentl unit were destructively mesured for their fresh nd dry weights (leves, stem, nd roots), lef re, plnt height, nd plnt nutrient content (N, P, K, C, nd Mg). Nutrients in plnt tissue were determined using wet digestion method (Jones, 21). The N, P, K nd C, Mg contents were determined y AA nd AAS respectively. All dt collected were tested using the sttisticl nlyses system (SAS 9.4 SAS system for windows y SAS Institute Inc., Cry, NC, USA). Anlysis of Vrince(Anov) ws used to determine the significnt tretment effect on vrious mesured properties with the significnce set t p<.5. Student Newmn-Keuls (SNK) test for mens seprtion ws used to detect significnt difference etween mens. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The result of the BX-1 physicl properties (Tle 1) showed the medi to e very light (.135 Mg m-3), with out 6% wter. It hs.4 m3 m-3 of ville wter. Porosity is one of the most importnt physicl properties in growing medi ecuse it determines the spce ville in continer for ir (ertion), wter, nd root growth (Bunt, 1988). Aertion is importnt ecuse the root system rethes (exchnges oxygen nd cron dioxide) in the lrge, ir-filled pores (mcropores). Poor ertion will dversely ffect root form (morphology) nd structure (physiology) nd will led to decresed seedling vigour (Scgel nd Dvis, 1988). TABLE 1 Physicl nd chemicl properties of BX-1 medi Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

6 The result of the chemicl properties (Tle 1) showed tht the ph of the medi is within the desired rnge with most of the nutrients eing ville for the plnts. An increse in EC of the ulk solution in the growing medium suggests tht the fertiliser pplied is more thn wht the plnt cn tke up, while decrese in EC indictes non-vilility of nutrients for plnt growth (Vn, 1999). EC in n importnt prmeter in mnging the fertility sttus of growing medi. The ph of growing medi is lso vitl ecuse it cn ffect the vilility of micro nutrients to plnts (Biley nd Bilderck, 1997). The chemicl properties which determine suitility of growing medi re primrily ph, ction-exchngecpcity (CEC), nd fertility (Miller nd Jones, 1995). The CEC is lso mesure of soil or potting medi s ility to hold nutrients(miller nd Jones, 1995). The proportion of the mcro nutrients in the medi (Tle 1) shows tht the levels of P, K, C nd Mg re high. This ws due to lending of the BX-1 with the fertiliser to sustin the growth of seedlings for longer time. The percentges of cron (C) nd nitrogen (N) in pet contining growth medi were in the rnge of 4 to 6 % nd to 5 %, respectively (Bujng et l., 211: Hut, 24), ut the C: N rtio ws rther high indicting the possiility of immoilistion of N. The ANOVA result for volumetric wter content (VWC) showed tht there ws no significnt difference (p<.5) etween the tretments for ech week ut the weeks differed significntly from one nother (Figure 2). The chrt shows decresing trend of wter content in medi BX-1 throughout the week. As the plnt grew, it used more wter mking the medi contin less wter. Plnt growth ws directly relted to soil moisture content (Hgn, 1955). As the rte of growth incresed the wter ecme less in the growing medium. This result showed tht the mount of wter given every dy (45 ml) ws enough ut ought to e incresed if the growing period of the crop is longer thn 4 weeks. 4 Nyi et l. Volumetric wter content (%) c d Week numer Figure 2: Volumetric wter content vs weeks of tretments 24 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

7 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery Tle 2 shows tht the significnt difference (p<.5) etween the tretments in terms of totl fresh weight, totl dry weight, root dry weight nd totl lef re occurred in week 4. For the totl fresh weight, Tle 2 shows tht WCK differed significntly from SRP nd DRP irrigtion systems in recording the highest totl fresh weight of 6.85g s compred with SPR (43.7g) nd DRP (49.94 g) on verge. SPR recorded the lowest totl fresh weight proly due to lower wter use efficiency of the system nd high wter loss. The etter growth in the WCK tretment ws due to the highest uptke of plnt nutrients N, P, nd K in this tretment. Cpillry wick irrigtion compred with overhed irrigtion reduced cumultive irrigtion volume y 86% without scrificing plnt growth (Brynt nd Yeger, 22). Overhed sprinklers for smll continers re extremely nonuniform in wtering (Beeson nd Yeger, 23). TABLE 2 Tretments interction for plnt growth prmeters (weeks) Totl fresh weight Totl dry weight Root dry weight Totl lef re Week Tretments g plnt -1 cm 2 plnt -1 SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK SPR = Overhed sprinkler, DRP=Drip, WCK=Cpillry wick irrigtion system. For the sme week nd plnt prmeters, mens (n=3) followed y the sme letter re not significntly different t 5% significnt level. WCK gve the highest totl dry weight (7.7 g) nd root dry weight (3.5 g) (Figure 3 nd 3), which differed significntly (p<.5) from SPR nd DRP. There were no significnt differences etween SPR nd DRP in terms of totl dry weight nd root dry weight. Wter plys n importnt role in dry mtter ccumultion, ecuse the nutrients hve to e in solution efore they cn e tken up y the roots; this could e the reson why WCK hd the highest totl dry weight. Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

8 Nyi et l. Totl (g dry plnt -1 ) Lef re (cm 2 plnt -1 ) c Week numer Week numer 4 Roots (g dry plnt -1 ) Week numer Figure 3: Tretments ccording to weeks interction for (). Totl Dry Weight () Root Dry Weight (c) Totl Lef Are. SPR= Overhed sprinkler, DRP= Drip, WCK= Cpillry wick irrigtion system The minerl nutrients of P nd N exerted pronounced influence on photosynthte nd dry mtter prtitioning etween root nd shoots (Cost et l., 22). Incresed root growth contriutes to root iomss nd root dry weight under higher tmospheric CO 2 regrdless of species or study conditions (Rogers et l., 1994; 1996). Lef re is lso function of wter content of plnts. From Figure 3c, it cn e seen tht the tretments differed significntly in totl lef re nd this ws seen in week 4. There ws no significnt (p>.5) difference etween WCK nd DRP tretments ut they differed from SPR tretment significntly (p.5). This ws ecuse WCK nd DRP irrigtion systems used more wter compred to the 26 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

9 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery SPR irrigtion system, which is the worst of the three systems studied. SPR hd out 9% wter loss (9 ml out of 1 ml) during ppliction due to wind nd cnopy interception which led to the system ppying more wter outside the continer compred to the two wter sving systems (DRP nd WCK) where wter loss occurred only y leching nd evportion. Tle 3 shows the tissue nlysis of wter spinch under three irrigtion systems. ANOVA found significnt interction etween weeks nd tretment in terms of N, P, nd K contents in the plnt tissue ut no significnt difference in Mg nd C content etween the tretments t 5% level. TABLE 3 Interction etween tretment nd weeks for tissue nlysis of N, P nd K. N P K Week Tretments g plnt -1 SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK SPR= Overhed sprinkler, DRP= Drip, WCK= Cpillry wick irrigtion system. For the sme week nd nutrient content, mens (n=3) followed y the sme letter re not significntly different t 5% level. Despite not een significnt etween tretments (for C nd Mg), the C content of the plnt tissue incresed from week 1 to week 4 (Figure 4) while Mg content ws highest in the first week nd lowest in the fourth week (Figure 4). This could e due to the vilility of the nutrients in the growing medi (BX-1). There were no sign of deficiency for ll the nutrients thoughout the experiment. For the N, P nd K nutrient contents, ANOVA showed significnt (p<.5) difference in interction etween weeks nd tretments (Tle 3). From Figure 5, it cn e seen tht higher N, P nd K nutrient contents were recorded in tretment 3 (WCK). In the WCK irrigtion system, the medi ws kept sturted throughout the experiment nd the wter ws pplied slowly nd stedily to the plnt, mking Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

10 Nyi et l Plnt C (%).2 c Plnt Mg (%).2 c c Week numer Week numer Figure 4: Trend (in weeks) of () C content of wter spinch nd () Mg content of wter spinch. ville the three elements for plnt uptke. When plnts re N-deficient, reltively more photosynthte is used y roots s they develop greter length to id the plnt in otining more N (Brer, 1995). Irrigtion methods influence the wter-sorption pttern nd severl other fctors which hve n effect on plnt growth (Argo nd Biernum, 1994; Ku nd Hershey, 1991; Molitor, 199). For mximum wter conservtion, the cpillry wick system should e used (Binridge, 21). The lower nutrient content otined in SPR nd DRP ws due to the higher mount of lechte oserved in the systems. Westervet (23) noted tht lck of uniformity in SPR irrigtion mens tht more wter is needed to irrigte ll the plnts which leds to over- or under-wtering of some plnts. It is difficult to uniformly irrigte crop without over- or under-wtering some plnts (Lienth, 1996). Tle 4 shows significnt difference in the mount of lechte collected t the end of the experiment etween the tretments. The highest mount of lechte ws recorded in DRP which does not differ significntly(p>.5) with SPR ut does differ significntly (p<.5) with the WCK irrigtion system (Figure 6). In the WCK irrigtion system, there ws no lechte in weeks 3 nd 4 s the plnt used up ll the wter. Despite the sence of lechte in the WCK system, the plnts did not experience wter stress nd in fct produced more iomss compred to other tretments. Tle 4 lso shows tht WCK hd the lowest cumultive N, P, K, C, nd Mg nutrients lechte contents, differing significntly with SRP nd WCK nd DRP (Figure 7 to 7e). SPR nd DRP did not differ sttisticlly in recording the highest mount of cumultive N lechte while the WCK gve the lowest mount of cumultive N lechte t mg L -1 (Figure 7). Leching occurs when inorgnic forms of N, prticulrly nitrite (NO 2- ) nd nitrte (NO 3- ) re soluilised nd crried with 28 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

11 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery wter through the soil profile or with surfce wters (Hodges, 21). Nitrogen concentrtion in ech tretment ws relted to the volume of wter leched out y RB 9 tue. Zotrelli et l., (29) lso noted the sme trend of nitrte leching s wter percolted, resulting in the mount of nitrogen loss decresing over time. () (c) Plnt N (%) 3 2 Plnt K (%) Week numer Week numer ().8 Plnt P (%) Week numer Figure 5: Interction etween tretments nd weeks for () N tissue content in wter spinch () P tissue content in wter spinch (c) K tissue content in wter spinch. SPR= Overhed sprinkler, DRP= Drip, WCK= Cpillry wick irrigtion system Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

12 Nyi et l. TABLE 4 Overll cumultive mens for nutrients content nd volume of lechte. Week Tretment Prmeters N P K C Mg Volume mg L -1 SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK SPR DRP WCK c 25.87c SPR DRP WCK c 25.87c Notes: SPR= Overhed sprinkler, DRP= Drip, WCK= Cpillry wick irrigtion system Column Mens (n=3) for the sme week nd sme prmeter followed y the sme letter re not significntly different t 5% level. ml Cumultive lechte (ml) Week numer Figure 6: Overll cumultive mens of lechte for the tretments in 4 weeks. SPR= Overhed sprinkler, DRP= Drip, WCK= Cpillry wick irrigtion system The WCK cumultive lechte for P differed significntly (p.5) from SPR nd DPR (Figure 7) ut there ws no difference (p>.5) etween SPR nd DRP. From Figure 7c, it is noted tht the highest cumultive mens for K lechte 3 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

13 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery ws otined in SPR, which differs (p<.5) from WCK nd DRP irrigtion systems. Among the tretments, WCK showed the lowest in cumultive mens for lechte of P, recording only 33.8% of the SPR potssium lechte. There ws no increse in N, P, K, C nd Mg lechte in WCK fter week 2 s there ws no lechte in the tretment. The mount of P removed in the BX-1 medi y different irrigtion system ws very low compred with other nutrients mesured. As P is n immoile element, its mount in the lechte is expected to e less. Phosphorous content in runoff incresed fter fertilistion (Renou et l., 2). As the WCK system produced lesser mount of lechte, nturlly the mount of P ws lso less. Sustntil mounts of the totl ville K in pet soil is lwys present in soil solution. Hence, K is strongly moile nd prone to leching. In ddition, K fixtion is lmost sent in pet soil snd despite its high ction exchnge cpcity, pet soils do not redily dsor exchngele K (Andrisse, 1988). As shown in this experiment, higher mount of K lechte ws recorded compred to the other nutrient elements. From Figure 7d nd 7e, it cn e seen tht the highest cumultive mens for C nd Mg were otined from the lechte in the SPR irrigtion system (43.17 nd 67.5 mg L -1 ), which differs significntly (p<.5) from DRP (29.47 nd mg L -1 ) nd WCK (17.69 nd mg L -1 ). The lowest ws otined in the WCK system ecuse there ws no lechte fter week 2. Clcium nd Mg re mostly ctions tht cn e leched from most soils. Considerle mounts of Mg cn e leched from sndy soils especilly fter ppliction of fertilisers (Hvlin et l., 1999). Figure 8 shows cumultive wter use nd wter use efficiency (WUE) of the three irrigtion systems.. The WCK system gve the highest cumultive wter use which differed significntly (p>.5) from SPR nd DRP irrigtion systems, ut etween SPR nd DRP there ws no difference (p<.5). WCK consumed the most mount of wter which explins why it produced the highest plnt growth. Nonetheless, there ws no difference in wter productivity (mount of iomss produced per unit wter consumed) etween the three tretments (dt not shown). The WCK system hd the highest wter use ecuse wter ws non-limited, nd ccumultion of dry mtter is dependent not only on nutrients nd solr rdition vilility ut lso on wter vilility. However, WUE (the mount of wter used per unit wter pplied) for WCK ws highest, differing significntly (p<.5) from other tretments, while the lowest ws otined in the SPR system (Figure 8). There ws huge mount of wter loss in the SPR tretment, where wter wstge ws more thn 9%. The WCK system recorded the highest wter use efficiency recorded ecuse of the wy wter ws pplied nd tken up y the plnts. The system supplied wht the plnts needed exctly, with little wstge. WUE is mong the most importnt indices for determining optiml wter mngement prctices (Khrrou et l., 211). Incresing the efficiency of wter use y crops is of vst concern ecuse of the incresing demnd for wter, yet the desired effects re rely chieved (Htfield et l., 21). Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

14 Nyi et l. Cumultive N leched (mg L- 1 ) Week numer Cumultive C leched (mg L -1 ) d c Week numer Cumultive P leched (mg L -1 ) Week numer Cumultive Mg leched (mg L -1 ) e c Week numer Cumultive K leched (mg L -1 ) c Week numer Figure 7: () Cumultive N leched y different wter tretments () P lechte content y tretments in weeks (c) K lechte content y tretments in weeks (d) C lechte content y tretments in weeks (e) Mg lechte content y tretments in weeks. SPR= Overhed sprinkler, DRP= Drip, WCK= Cpillry wick irrigtion system. 32 Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

15 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery Cumultive wter used (ml) Week numer WUE (L L -1 ) for DRP nd WCK Week numer DRP WCK SPR c WUE (L L -1 ) for SPR Figure 8: () Cumultive wter use of wter spinch under three irrigtion system () Wter use efficiency of wter spinch under three irrigtion system. SPR= Overhed sprinkler, DRP= Drip, WCK= Cpillry wick irrigtion system CONCLUSIONS Physicl nd chemicl nlysis crried out on the BX-1 medi showed tht it cn store lrge mounts wter ut ville wter content to the plnt might e low depending on the growing plnt. The ph ws 5.54 which is within the desired rnge of most growing medi nd suitle for mny plnt species. BX-1 is considered s non-sline with n EC of.9 ds m -1. Totl cron nd totl nitrogen were % nd 1.41%, respectively. The nutrients of P, K, C nd Mg in the BX-1 medi were.32 %,.66 %, 1.2 % nd.35%, respectively. This shows high nutrient content nd this ws due to the ddition of slow relesing fertilisers nd lime to mke the medi more suitle for seedling production. It cn e concluded tht the est irrigtion system for the use in RB-9 tue ws the WCK irrigtion system. The WCK system gve the highest growth for roots y dry weight nd lef re. This ws ecuse the WCK tretment hd the lowest mount of lechte nd nutrient losses, so it hd the highest nutrient content in the plnt for N, P, nd K. WCK lso hd the highest wter use efficiency, ut there ws no difference in wter productivity etween the three irigtion system. WCK consumed the highest mount of wter (ut hd lest wter wstge) to produce the highest mount of roots iomss nd lef re compred to drip nd overhed sprinkler tretments. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We like to thnk Humiox Sdn. Bhd. for providing the finncil support for this reserch. Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

16 Nyi et l. REFERENCES Andriesse, J. P Nture nd Mngement of Tropicl Pet Soils. FAO Soils Bulletin 59, FAO, Rome. Argo, W.R. nd J. A. Biernum Irrigtion requirements, root medium ph nd nutrient concentrtions of Ester lilies grown in five pet-sed medi with nd without n evportion rrier. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 119: Biley, D. nd T. Bilderck Alklinity control for irrigtion wter used in nurseries nd greenhouses. Hort. Info. Lflt, 558. Binridge, D. A. 21. Buried cly pot irrigtion: little known ut very efficient trditionl method of irrigtion. Agriculturl Wter Mngement, 48(2): Brer, S. A Soil Nutrient Biovilility: Mechnistic Approch: John Wiley nd Sons., New York. Beeson, R.C. nd T.H. Yeger. 23. Plnt cnopy ffects sprinkler irrigtion ppliction efficiency of continer-grown ornmentls. Hort Science 38:1. Blke, G. R. nd K. H. Hrtge Bulk density. In: Method of Soil Anlysis. Prt 1. Physicl nd Minerlogicl Methods. 2 nd. Edn. ed. A. Klute. Pp ASA-SSSA, Wisconsin. Brynt, H. nd Yeger. T. 22. Production of Spthiphyllum using three irrigtion methods. Pper presented t the Proc. Southern Nursery Assn. Res. 22. Bujng, B. H., Sin, K., Arun, P. nd B. Mssoumeh Stte of n rt review of pet: Generl perspective. Interntionl Journl of Physicl Sciences 6(8): Bunt A. C Medi nd Mixes for Continer Grown Plnts. London: Unwin Hymn, Ltd. pp Cost, C., Dwyer, L. M., Zhou, X., Dutilleul, P., Hmel, C., Reid, L. M. nd D. L. Smith. 22. Root morphology of contrsting mize genotypes. Agronomy. J. 94: Ekpo, M.O. nd S.K. Sit. 21. Influence of growing medi on stem dimeter nd Ecologicl Chrcteristics of Pinus ptul seedlings in Switzerlnd. World Journl of Agriculturl Science. 6(6): Erstd, J.L.F. nd H. R. Gislerod Wter uptke of cuttings nd stem pieces s ffected y different neroic conditions in the rooting medium. Sci. Hortic. 58: Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216

17 Irrigtion Systems for Ruer Nursery Hgn, R. M Fctors ffecting soil moisture-plnt growth reltions. Pper presented t the Report of the XIV Interntionl Horticulturl Congress, Scheveningen, Netherlnds. Htfield, J. L., Suer, T. J. nd J. H. Prueger. 21. Mnging soils to chieve greter wter use efficiency: review. Agronomy Journl 93: Hvlin, J., Beton, J., Tisdle, S. nd W. Nelson. (eds.) Soil Fertility nd Fertilizers; n Introduction to Nutrient Mngement 8 th Edition. Prentice Hll, New Jersey. Hodges, S. C. 21. Soil fertility sics. Soil Science Extension, North Crolin Stte University. Hut, B. B. K. 24. Orgnic nd Pet Soils Engineering. University Putr Mlysi Press Serdng, Mlysi. Jones, J. B. 21. Lortory Guide for Conducting Soil Test nd Plnt Anlysis. CRC press, Boc Rton, FL. Khrrou, M. H., Er-Rki, S., Chehouni, A., Duchemin, B., Simonneux, V., LePge, M. nd L. Jrln Wter use efficiency nd yield of winter whet under different irrigtion regimes in semi-rid region. Agriculturl Sciences 2(3): doi: /s Ku, C. S. M. nd D. R. Hershey Lechte electricl conductivity nd growth of potted poinsetti with leching frction of.4. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 116: Lienth, J. H Irrigtion systems. In: Wter, Medi, nd Nutrition for Greenhouse Crops. ed. D. W. Reed. pp Bll Pulishing Inc., Btvi, Illinois. Mcz, O., Pprozzi, E. T. nd W. W. Stroup. 21. Effect of nitrogen nd sulphur pplictions on pot chrysnthemum production nd posthrvest performnce. Lef nitrogen nd sulfur concentrtions. J. Plnt Nutr. 24: Miller, J. H. nd N. Jones Orgnic nd compost-sed growing medi for tree seedling nurseries (Vol. 264): World Bnk Pulictions. Molitor, H. D The Europen perspective with emphsis on suirrigtion nd recircultion of wter nd nutrients. Act Hort. 272: Ngeswr Ro D. V. K. nd M.D. Jessy. 27. Impct of effective soil volume on growth nd yield of ruer (Heve rsiliensis). Crop Mngement, Ruer Reserch Ins. of Indi, Kottym. Indi Geoderm 141: Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2,

18 Nyi et l. Nelson, D. nd L. E. Sommers Totl cron, Orgnic cron, nd Orgnic mtter. Methods of Soil Anlysis. Prt 2. Chemicl nd Microiologicl Properties. 2 nd Edn. ASA-SSSA, Wisconsin, pp Renou, F., Jones, S. nd E. P. Frrell. 2. Leching of phosphorus fertilizer pplied on cutwy petlnd forests recently estlished in centrl Irelnd. Sustining our petlnds, 2: Richrds L.A. nd M. Firemn Pressure plte pprtus for mesuring moisture sorption nd trnsmission y soils. Soil Sci. 56(6): Richrds, L. A Pressure-memrne pprtus. Construction nd use. Agric. Eng. 28: Rogers, H. H., G. B. Runion. nd S.V. Krup Plnts responses to tmospheric enrichment with emphsis on roots nd the rhizosphere. Environ. Pollut. 83: doi:1.116/ (94) Rogers, H. H., S. A. Prior, G. B. Runion. nd R. J. Mitchell Root to shoot rtio of crops s influenced y CO 2. Plnt Soil 187: doi:1.17/ BF179. Scgel, R., nd G. A. Dvis Recommendtions nd lterntive growing medi for use in continerized nursery production of conifers: some physicl nd chemicl properties of medi nd mendments. Pper presented t the Lndis, TD, tech. coord. Proceedings, comined meeting of the Western Forest Nursery Associtions. Thoms, G. W Exchngele Ctions. Methods of Soil Anlysis. Prt 2. Chemicl nd Microiologicl Properties. 2 nd Edn. ASA-SSSA, Wisconsin, pp Vn Iersel, M Fertilizer concentrtion ffects growth nd nutrient composition of suirrigted pnsies. Hort Science 34(4): Westervelt, P. M. 23. Greenhouse production of Rosmrinus officinlis L. Doctorl disserttion, Virgini Polytechnic Institute nd Stte University. Wong, S. L., Tsn, F. Y. nd B. K. Lee Semiflot system for cost effective production of oil plm seedlings in the pre-nursery. Plnter. 89: Zotrelli, L., Scholerg, J. M., Dukes, M. D., Muñoz-Crpen, R. nd J. Icermn. 29. Tomto yield, iomss ccumultion, root distriution nd irrigtion wter use efficiency on sndy soil, s ffected y nitrogen rte nd irrigtion scheduling. Agriculturl Wter Mngement. 96(1): Mlysin Journl of Soil Science Vol. 2, 216