Physiology of Santalum album L. Seedlings: Impact of Host Varieties and Potting Mixture Diversity

Abstract

Santalum album L., commonly known as sandalwood, holds significant importance due to its diverse applications in industries such as perfumery and pharmaceuticals. As a hemi-parasitic species, it forms essential nutritional connections with the roots of various host plants, influencing its physiology. An experiment was conducted to investigate how different host plants and potting mixtures, enriched with mycorrhizae, impact the physiological characteristics of sandalwood seedlings during the nursery stage. Three primary host plants (Albizia lebbeck, Casuarina junghuniana, and Alternanthera sessilis) were considered as main plot treatments, while various potting mixtures (nine sub-plot treatments: potting mixture with mycorrhizae in the standard ratio of sand soil, farmyard manure, burnt rice husk and vermicompost) were examined in a split-plot experiment with replicates. Measurements of CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, and transpiration rate were taken at intervals after transplanting (90, 180, and 270 days). The CO2 assimilation rate and intercellular CO2 concentration with the host plant Casuarina junghuhniana were found to be 2.25 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1 and 316.73 µmol CO2 mol-1, respectively. Physiological parameters indicated better growth with combinations of burnt rice husk, soil, and farmyard manure. Sandalwood seedlings grown with the host plant C. junghuhniana and a potting mixture consisting of burnt rice husk, soil, and farmyard manure, either alone or in combination with arbuscular mycorrhizalstrains (Glomus fasiculatum and Glomus intraradices), exhibited superior physiological performance. The study revealed that the choice of host plant and potting mixture significantly influenced the physiological performance of sandalwood seedlings. These findings accentuate the importance of selecting appropriate host varieties and potting mixtures to optimize the growth and physiological responses of S. album seedlings in nursery settings.