Nursery practices in rubber have been revolutionalised with the recent introduction of root trainer plants grown in containers with soil-less media. After conditioning for 2-3 months, coir pith is used as potting medium in root trainer cups. Presence of high amount of phenolic compounds, lengthy pretreatment and less nutritive value are some of the limitations of coir pith as a potting medium. Partially dried elephant dung was tried as an alternative to coir pith, either alone or in combination with coir pith or soil to fill the root trainer cups. Brown budded stumps of Hevea, clone RRII 430 were used for planting. Bud sprouting, length and diameter of the shoot and number of leaf whorls were recorded periodically. Among the treatments, plants grown in elephant dung in combination with soil in equal proportion by volume showed superiority in early bud sprouting, shoot length, diameter and number of leaf whorls. Shoot length, diameter and number of leaf whorls were higher for elephant dung + soil followed by elephant dung + soil + coir pith media which were comparable to coir pith alone or a mixture of coir pith and soil (1:1). The study indicated that elephant dung can be utilized as a medium for root trainer plants in rubber nurseries as an alternative to coir pith or in combination with coir pith.
Bio-waste utilization, Elephant dung, Hevea brasiliensis, Potting medium, Root trainer plants