Abstract

The propagation of different plant species is not very effective under the field soil unless the soil quality is improved by adding different potting media. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during 2017 at the forest nursery of Himgiri Zee University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India to assess the response of different growing media on the growth and biomass of Populus deltoides. The experiment was conducted with completely randomized design with 3 replications and 10 treatments viz., No Treatment (control), Soil:FYM:Sand, Soil:FYM:Neem cake, Soil:FYM:Vermicompost, Soil: Sand: Neem cake, Soil: Sand: Vermicompost, Soil: Neem cake: Vermicompost, Sand: Neem cake: FYM, Sand: Vermicompost: Neem cake and Sand: FYM: Vermicompost. The results demonstrated that poplar growth was significantly higher in media including both vermicompost and sand, or Sand + FYM + Vermicompost. Soil + FYM + Vermicompost, or any alternative treatment containing FYM and soil, was recommended for maximizing plant biomass. The impact of these treatments on several growth and biomass indicators can aid farmers in making informed decisions about P. deltoides crop output in plantation and agroforestry systems.