Germination and Growth response of Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth to different soil moisture levels at seedling stage

Himaddri Shekher Mondal; Md Sajjad Hossain Tuhin; Md. Sharif Hasan Limon

doi:10.53808/KUS.2026.23.01.1565-ls

Authors

Himaddri Shekher Mondal Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh
Md Sajjad Hossain Tuhin Research and Innovation Centre, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh
Md. Sharif Hasan Limon Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2026.23.01.1565-ls

Keywords:

Albizia lebbeck, Germination, Soil moisture, Seedling survival, Field capacity

Abstract

Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth., is one of the widely used agroforestry species in Bangladesh for its timber, nitrogen fixing capacity and adaptability. Current study examined the impact of different soil field capacities (FC) on early establishment of this species including germination and seedling growth. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used for monitoring germination and randomized complete block design (RCBD) to study growth for sixty (60) days considering the field capacity (25%, 50%, and 100%). The experiment found a significant difference among the field capacities (p<0.05) where highest germination was recorded at 50% FC (78%), followed by 100% FC (76%) and only 15% germination in 25% FC. The height growth was significantly (p<0.05) higher at 50% FC than 100% FC but diameter growth did not differ significantly (p<0.05) among the treatments. The findings indicated that 50% FC provided better germination and height growth than 25% FC and 100% FC. These findings also highlighted the optimization of soil water in plant nurseries for developing a climate-resilient seedling stock for drought-prone regions.

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