Growth Characteristics of <italic>Hemerocallis thunbergii</italic> Baker Seedlings depending on Cell Size in Sowing using Plug Trays

Abstract

Background and objective: This study was conducted to determine the appropriate cell size, and days after sowing seeds by examining the growth of <i>Hemerocallis thunbergii</i> Baker (HTB) seedlings using plug trays.Methods: The growth of seedlings was examined after sowing seeds in four types of plug trays (143, 70, 18, 13 mL/cell). The sown trays were placed in a greenhouse for three repetitions per treatment. The seedling growth were measured at intervals of one month after sowing.Results: The leaf width and root length increased in proportion to the cell size, and at 90 days after sowing the highest leaf number was observed in the 143 mL/cell plug tray, followed in order by 18, 13, and 70 mL/cell plug tray. The longest leaf length was found in the 70 mL/cell plug trays, followed in order by the 70, 18, 143, and 13 mL/cell plug trays, but there was no significant difference except in 13 mL/cell plug trays. By analyzing the plant water content (PWC) of the shoots and roots, it was found that the PWC of the root system increased as the cell size increased, compared to that of the shoots, and there was a significant difference according to the cell size.Conclusion: Compared with the 143 mL cell plug tray, which had the largest cell size among the other treatment groups, the leaf number increased only for the 18 mL cell plug tray, there was no significant difference from 143 mL cell plug tray, and the leaf length was rather longer. Therefore, considering the actual production period and economic efficiency of raising the seedlings, it is considered that nursery period of 60 days or more is appropriate for HTB based on 18 mL/cell in sowing in plug trays.