Performance of Three Rambutan Varieties (Nephelium lappaceum L.) on Various Nursery Media

The growth of three rambutan varieties (Nephelium lappaceum L.) was evaluated on three different nursery media at the agricultural experimental station of Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam Banda Aceh. The seed of rambutan varieties glu, nona and binjai were collected from a community plantation in Padang Tiji district. The nursery medium tested included a farmer-made compost and two researcher-made composts. The experimental design used was a factorial Randomize Complete Block
Design (RCBD) 3 varieties x 3 nursery media, replicated three times. The growth parameters measured were seedling height (cm), stem diameter (mm), leaf area (cm2), fresh weight of seedlings (g), dried weight of seedlings (g), root length (cm), root number, and root weight (g). Measurements were madeat 30, 45, 60 and 75 days after planting. Analysis of variance and honestly significant difference tests were used to analyze the growth data. Results show that variety glu had greater diameter growth and dry weight than other varieties; supporting local beliefs and practice that variety glu is a better rootstock. Additionally, the farmer compost promoted significantly better root growth compared to the other composts.