International Journal of Horticulture, 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 267-278 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 271 Table 2 Effect of germination media on germination parameters of tomato seeds Treatments Germination (%) Germination speed Germination energy Vigor index T1 84.37b 32.99abc 28.25ab 1498.74de T2 61.45c 32.94abc 22b 1199.68e T3 67.7c 39.76a 28.25ab 1502.263d T4 84.37b 30.96abc 26.17ab 1747.3cd T5 82.28b 35.92abc 30.33ab 1685.34cd T6 92.7ab 39.02ab 36.58a 2027.71b T7 88.53ab 24.45c 22b 1911bc T8 96.87a 26.97abc 26.17ab 2399.17a T9 98.95a 26.42bc 27.18ab 2601.39a Grandmean 84.13 32.15 24.1 1841.40 CV% 7.8 12.3 12.5 6.9 SEM(±) 5.39 5.26 4.23 114.0 LSD(0.05) 10.10 12.39 9.90 240.6 F test ** ** * ** Note: ***Significant at 0.1 % level of significance, **Significant at 1% level of significance, *Significant at 5 % level of significance, CV: Coefficient of variance, SEM: standard error mean 3.1.1 Germination percentage The germination percentage of tomato seeds was significantly influenced by different germination media (p < 0.01). The highest germination percentage was observed in Vermicompost + FYM + Soil + Cocopeat (98.95%), which was statistically at par with Cocopeat + Soil + Vermicompost (96.87%) and Vermicompost + Soil (92.7%), indicating their superior performance in promoting seed germination. These were followed by Vermicompost + Cocopeat (88.53%) and FYM + Soil (84.37%), which also showed relatively high germination rates but were statistically like Vermicompost (84.37%) and Soil + Cocopeat (82.28%). In contrast, the lowest germination percentage was recorded in Cocopeat (61.45%), followed by Soil (67.7%), both of which were significantly lower than the top-performing treatments. The coefficient of variation (CV) for germination percentage was 7.8%, indicating moderate variability among treatments. The least significant difference (LSD) at a 5% level was 10.10, and the standard error of mean (SEM) was ±5.39, supporting the robustness of observed differences. 3.1.2 Germination speed Germination speed was also significantly affected by the type of germination media (p < 0.01). The maximum germination speed was found in Soil (39.76), which was statistically at par with Vermicompost + Soil (39.02). These treatments were followed by Soil + Cocopeat (35.92), Vermicompost (32.99), and Cocopeat (32.94), all falling into a statistically similar group. Interestingly, Vermicompost + Cocopeat recorded the lowest germination speed (24.45), which was significantly lower than Soil and Vermicompost + Soil but not distinct from Cocopeat + Soil + Vermicompost (26.97) and Vermicompost + FYM + Soil + Cocopeat (26.42). The coefficient of variation (CV) for this parameter was 12.3%, and the standard error of mean (SEM) was ±5.26, while the LSD value was 12.39, indicating a relatively higher spread in data and moderate differences among treatments. 3.1.3 Germination energy Germination energy exhibited statistically significant differences among treatments at the 5% level (p < 0.05). The highest germination energy was recorded in Vermicompost + Soil (36.58), significantly superior to all other treatments, reflecting its rapid and uniform germination capability. This was followed by Soil + Cocopeat (30.33) and Vermicompost, Soil, FYM + Soil, Cocopeat + Soil + Vermicompost, and Vermicompost + FYM + Soil + Cocopeat, which showed intermediate values ranging from 26.17 to 28.25 and were statistically similar to each other. The lowest germination energy values were observed in Cocopeat (22) and Vermicompost + Cocopeat (22), indicating delayed or less vigorous early germination. The CV for germination energy was 12.5%, and the SEM was ±4.23, with a LSD of 9.90, highlighting moderate variation across treatments. 3.1.4 Vigor index Significant differences were also found in the vigor index across treatments (p < 0.01). The highest vigor index was achieved by Vermicompost + FYM + Soil + Cocopeat (2601.39), followed closely by Cocopeat + Soil +
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