EFFECT OF COCONUT WATER ON THE CUTTING ESTABLISHMENTOF IXORA (IXORA COCCINEA L.)

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of coconut water on cutting establishment of
Ixora (Ixora coccinea) at the shade house of Crop Farm, Eastern University, Sri Lanka during the
period February 2016 to May 2016. The experimental was laid out in Complete Randomized
Design (CRD) replicated thirty times. The treatments were: coconut water treatment (T1) and
without coconut water treatment (control T0).
The poly bags were filled with top soil: red soil: cow dung at the ratio of 1:1:1 and leaving 1 inch
at the top for watering. The uniform cuttings were selected. The cuttings were taken in the early
morning and the cutting ends were kept in water prior to planting to keep the cuttings turgid. Then
the cuttings were planted into the prepared poly bags and labeled. Coconut water was collected in
a clean bucket in the early morning. Once in five days, 100 ml coconut water was poured into the
bags (T1).
The results suggest that, length of roots (52 %), the number of roots (63 %) and root initials (70
%) plant height (28 %), number of branches (44 %) and number of leaves (70 %) increased with
the application of coconut water to the cuttings. Therefore, under the conditions of this
experiment, establishment ability is high when the cutting treated with coconut water. This is one
of the cheapest ways to induce number of roots and shoots in Ixora.