Vol. 11, Issue 11 (2022)

Quality seedling can ensure higher crop yield. The present investigation was carried out at AAU, Jorhat, Assam, India during rabi season of 2018-19 and 2019-20 to access the impact of different growing media on growth, quality and vigour of tomato seedling and subsequent performance in the main field. The treatments consisted of four different nursery media composition viz., M1: Cocopeat (60): Vermiculite (20): Perlite (20), M2: Cocopeat (50): vermicompost (50), M3: Cocopeat (50): vermicompost (50): Microbial consortium (6g/ kg media), M4: Conventional nursery (soil: sand: FYM). The effect of different seed sowing media on seedling quality and their performance in the main field was found to be significant. The results revealed that tomato seedlings raised in plug trays with seed sowing media coconut (50): vermicompost (50) i.e. M2 recorded higher seedling emergence percentage (98.42), seedling height (15.47 cm), seedling vigour index (2268.54), dry matter accumulation (24.18%), total chlorophyll content (1.61 mg g-1fw). The same seedling raised media showed better performance in the main field, recorded less days to seedling establishment (4.29), higher leaf area index (5.45), membrane stability index (70.71%), relative leaf water content (79.48%), root length (60.53 cm), root dry weight (15.95g), days to 50% flowering (31.71), number of fruits per plant (42.78), individual fruit weight (66.78g), yield per hectare (105.63 t) and B:C ratio of 5.28.