Abstract
A survey-based study was conducted to analyze the current scenario of substrate usage in local ornamental plants nurseries of
Punjab, Pakistan, during 2017, using stratified random sampling technique. Ornamental nurseries of Faisalabad, Lahore,
Islamabad, Kasur and Multan were surveyed on a detailed questionnaire, which consisted of comprehensive personal and
business information of nurserymen, substrate usage for ornamental plant production and major issues of nursery production
business in Punjab, Pakistan. Collected data were coded, decoded and arranged statistically in tabular form, and were analyzed
through SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) IBM (International Business Machines) version 19. Results
demonstrated that majority of local nurserymen were using soil or silt for raising ornamentals. Moreover, major obstacle in
nursery production was the unawareness of the nurserymen regarding modern nursery raising techniques and majority (56%)
even had no idea about use or significance of soilless substrates. However, a large number (62%) of nurserymen were interested
to produce export quality plants, using cheaper local soilless substrates, if available at affordable prices. Only a few
nurserymen, who were using modern imported substrates, demanded the tax exemption facility (35%) and reduction of import
export barriers (21%), training of labor about modern substrates and nursery raising techniques (21%) and awareness about
modern technologies (16%). Ignorance about modern soilless substrates (53%) and high costs of imported soilless substrates
(25%) were reported to be the major issues in limited use of soilless substrates. Nurserymen also complained that they were
using personal resources only to cope with their nursery issues and no support was available from public or private sector.
Nurserymen were purchasing the traditional substrates, viz. silt from other nurserymen (48%), and get some guidance from
university experts, floriculture websites or through floriculture department extension agents. Use of garden soil or silt
traditionally and unawareness of the modern soilless substrates were reported as major reasons of low quality nursery
production and nurserymen were looking for affordable locally developed soilless substrates for better quality ornamental
nursery production.
Shaiza Rasool, Iftikhar Ahmad, Asees Ahmad, Bilal Abdullah, Khurram Ziaf. (2020) CURRENT STATUS AND ISSUES OF SOILLESS SUBSTRATE USAGE IN ORNAMENTAL NURSERY PRODUCTION BUSINESS IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN, Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 57, Issue 3.
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