Effect of Potting Media on Seed Germination and Growth of Papaya Seedling (Carica papaya L.) cv. Pusa Delicious under Uttar Pradesh Conditions

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different potting media combinations on seed germination and early growth parameters of papaya (Carica papaya L.) cv. Pusa Delicious under Uttar Pradesh conditions. The experiment was conducted using Randomized Block Design with seven treatments replicated thrice. The treatments included T0 (Soil Control), T1 (Soil +FYM), T2 (Soil + FYM + Cocopeat 1:1:1), T3 (Soil + FYM + Vermicompost 1:1:1), T4 (Soil + FYM + Sand 1:1:1), T5 (Soil + FYM + Poultry Manure 1:1:1), and T6 (Soil + FYM + Sand + Vermicompost 1:1:1:1). Results revealed that treatment T6 showed superior performance in terms of germination percentage (81.3%) and plant height at 30 DAS (20.5 cm), while T3 demonstrated the highest survival percentage (85.7%) and fastest germination initiation (13 days). The study concludes that potting media enriched with vermicompost significantly enhance seed germination, survival rate, and early seedling growth in papaya cultivation.