Efficacy of lime application in cocoa seedlings growth in the nursery

Most of Malaysian soils are categorized as acidic soil because of very low pH, usually less than 5. Within this pH range (3.5 - 5), the plant growth usually unsatisfactory. The traditional method practiced by agriculturists to increase pH is through application of ground magnesium limestone (GML) in the powder form. However, lime in the powder form has slow reaction with soil particles and hence slow in increasing the soil pH. Therefore, the use of powder lime in was not suitable due to the short period in the nursery before they are transplanted to the field raising seedling. As an alternative, may be liquid lime used. Liquid lime easily react with soil particle and can increase soil pH fast, thus it may be more suitable in the nursery for seedlings preparation. The objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of liquid lime in the nursery compare to the powder lime and to identify its suitable rate for cocoa seedlings. There were seven treatments in the experiment which consist control, 1 ml liquid lime per polybag, 2ml liquid lime per polybag, 3 ml liquid lime per polybag, 4ml liquid lime per polybag, 5ml liquid lime per polybag and 25 g GML per polybag. Data taken were girth, height and leaves number, root volume, plant fresh and dry weight and soil pH. Growth data were taken monthly, while for root volume, plant fresh and dry weight, were taken twice i.e. two and six month after seed sowey. Soil pH, was taken thrice i.e. before lime application, after two and six month of lime application. The statistical analysis showed that there were no significant difference between treatments for girth, height, leaves number, root volume and plant fresh and dry weight of cocoa seedling. Correlations study indicated that root volume tends to influence plant fresh and dry weight for all sampling intervals. This study suggests that lime application at the nursery stage whether in liquid or powder form is no t necessary because without lime, the plant also show the similar performance compare to the other treatments (with lime). It is not very effective to apply lime for cocoa seedlings in the nursery as the crop duration is about four to six month only. Furthermore, it is not cost-effective to apply lime in rising seedling because there were no significant in growth with or without it. Liming may be more suitable for field planting.