Composted Melia azedarach L. (Chinaberry tree) Sawdust Mixtures Regulate the Sprouting and Growth of Single Bud Node Seedlings of Sugarcane

Raising sugarcane nurseries by single bud nodes cutting and using peat moss or coco peat as growth substrates are getting popular in many top sugarcane-producing countries worldwide. However, to reduce production costs, commercial growers involved in the sugarcane nursery raising business want to avoid peat moss or coco peat, which are expensive as growth substrates. We hypothesized that composted Melia azedarach (Chinaberry tree) sawdust can be a suitable replacement. The objective was to assess the viability, sprouting, and seedling establishment of single bud nodes of sugarcane in composted M. azedarach sawdust mixtures in two independent pot culture experiments. The experimental treatments were, T 1 : soil (control) (100%) (v/v), T 2 : composted sawdust of M. azedarach (100%) (v/v), T 3 : composted sawdust of M. azedarach (80%) (v/v) + composted peels of banana (20%) (v/v), T 4 : composted sawdust of M. azedarach (60%) (v/v) + composted peels of banana (20%) (v/v) + composted shells of eggs (20%) (v/v), and T 5 : composted sawdust of M. azedarach (60%) (v/v) + composted peels of banana (20%) (v/v) + composted shells of eggs (20%) (v/v) + Urea at the rate 225 kg N ha −1 . The results exhibited that composted M. azedarach sawdust mixtures provoked early sprouting and triggered the growth of single bud node seedlings of sugarcane than in soil (control). The composted M. azedarach sawdust mixtures produced taller seedlings, more number of leaves plant −1 , an increase in stem diameter, chlorophyll content index, leaf area, and root and shoot dry weight. It was concluded that composted M. azedarach sawdust mixture [T 5 : composted sawdust of M. azedarach (60%) (v/v) + composted peels of banana (20%) (v/v) + composted shells of eggs (20%) (v/v) + Urea at the rate 225 kg N ha −1 ] may be a suitable and productive alternative soilless substrate to raise single bud node seedlings of the sugarcane for nursery production.