"Efficient production of seedlings with matted roots in a ground-cover plant, rhyunohige, Ophiopogon japonicus."

"The aim of the present study is to improve the system for raising the seedlings of ground-cover plant, Rhyunohige, (Ophiopogon japonicus), when cultured in the tray imposing restrictions on root expansion. The matting of roots in the soil and the coverage over the soil surface with shoots of plants are suitable for the conservation of lands including crop fields and the landscaping. We carried out several experiments on the performance of this plant in response to various conditions at the nursery stage when raised in a tray restructing the expansion of roots mainly due to its shallowness of culture soil. The composition and pH of the soil to culture, the amounts of fertilizers to be applied and suitable intensity of the light for culture were examined. The degree of root-matting of the plant was expressed by the indices which are the number of root-segments detected in a milliliter of the cuboid culture soil. It can be proved that the culture-soil was preferable when mixed peat-moss, parlite, and sand in the proportion of 1:2:1 and that its favorable pH was about 5 to grow to suitable seedlings. The slow-acting compound fertilizers were also available and the amounts and methods of their application were clarified. The number of buds and the matting indexes increased by the application of 2 and 0.7 g of nitrogen per liter of soil, respectively. Furthermore, it became evident that seedlings grew without retard when the roots wee cut to shorten by 6cm, about half of the full length, to improve the efficiency of transplanting operation. And high rates of the coverage over the soil ina tray was obtained by transplanting the seedlings bearing buds of 30 to 45 in total number per tray. Seedling growth from April to September was greatly affected by light intensity. The shaded light by 30% was found to be the most promotive effect on growth and root-matting."