Journal of Taiwan Agricultural Research

Author:Chi-Hsiung Lai, Ching-Hsiang Yang, Bang-Hua Chen, Lit-Fu Chan, Chih-Sheng Chen and Dah-Jiang Liu

Abstract:

    Due to the difficulty in acquiring soil for the nursery of rice seedlings in Taiwan, the search for alternative cultural matrix was therefore an inevitable and urgent task. The newly developed Tainung No. 1 tray, using “board paper” as material, had been proofed to be ideal for the nursery of rice seedlings. On every board plate, holes of 0.4cm in diameter were drilled at the spacing of 1 X 1 cm. By applying the hydroponic culture method, Tainung No. 1 tray had successfully substituted for soil in producing healthy rice seedlings. Seedling height, age, and dry weight measured at transplanting stage indicated no significant difference between the two methods of seedling nursery. In field experiments, the rate of missing hills after machine transplanting was higher for seedlings from the Tainung No. 1 tray than for seedlings from the traditional soil, yet it still complied with the national standard (CNS). For other agronomic and yield traits investigated throughout the whole growth course of the rice plants in the field, there was also no significant difference between the treatments of seedlings raised from the two methods. This invention of Tainung No. 1 tray has already been granted the patent rights by the authorities of Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.

Key words:Rice-seedling nursery tray, Soilless seedling nursery, Cultural media

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