Abstract:
Piper longum (family Piperaceae) is an imperative medicinal herb used in indigenous medicine.
Lack of proper cultivation protocols exist as a major bottleneck for the commercial production of
this invaluable species. Therefore, systematic cultivations with developed cultivation packages
should be available to overcome the problems associated with this species. Further, P. longum
cultivated without chemical inputs possess high quality, efficacy, and reliability. Therefore, a pot
experiment was conducted to find out appropriate growth media for better growth and
development of P. longum. Rooted cuttings were established in six different growth media with
triplicates under Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Data on plant height (cm), number of
leaves, number of branches, shoot and roots dry weights (g), and root volume (ml) were collected
at 3 months after planting. All potting media were studied for available Nitrogen, Phosphorous,
Potassium, Organic Matter %, pH and electrical conductivity. Data were analysed with analysis of
variance (SAS 9.1 version) and means were separated using Duncan’s multiple range test.
According to the results, the highest number of leaves (43.3 ±4.2), number of branches (7±1),
shoot dry weight (15.7±1.1 g), root dry weight (2.86±0.6 g) and root volume (19.7±5.6 ml) were
recorded from topsoil: sand: compost 1:1:1 medium. Different growth media showed significant
difference (P≤0.05) for pH, electrical conductivity, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter contents. Topsoil: sand: compost 1:1:1 showed pH
and electrical conductivity 7.7 and 1.2 mS/cm, respectively. The same growth media reported 1.6
ppm of nitrate nitrogen, 0.76 ppm of ammonium nitrogen, 126.5 ppm of phosphorus, 193 ppm of
potassium and 4.6% of organic matter. Topsoil with compost help to retain water as well as
provide nutrients. Sand facilitates drainage and improves aeration. The lowest values for all the
growth and yield parameters were recorded in topsoil: compost 1:2 indicating that excess
compost may also negatively impact on growth and development of P. longum. Therefore, Topsoil:
sand: compost 1:1:1 appeared to be the most promising growing media for P. Longum to grow
under organic cultivations.
