Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune
Mosses, classified as bryophytes, are of economic importance in the horticulture industry where they are used for decoration and gifts. Polytrichum commune (common haircap moss) is a popular moss species used in TerraLiving’s terrariums. However, moss growth is slow, taking up to 12 months for co...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
INTI International University
2020
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1411/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1411/1/ij2020_03.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848766730532290560 |
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| author | Ong, Ghim Hock Boey, Mervin, Jia Ye Cheng, Wan Hee |
| author_facet | Ong, Ghim Hock Boey, Mervin, Jia Ye Cheng, Wan Hee |
| author_sort | Ong, Ghim Hock |
| building | INTI Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Mosses, classified as bryophytes, are of economic importance in the horticulture industry where
they are used for decoration and gifts. Polytrichum commune (common haircap moss) is a popular
moss species used in TerraLiving’s terrariums. However, moss growth is slow, taking up to 12
months for complete growth which limits its economic value. Moss is conventionally grown on
peat soil but its prolonged use under the slow moss growth is uneconomical. Therefore, synthetic
soil has been proposed as an alternative growth media. Hence, the aims of this study are to
investigate the physicochemical characteristics of both peat and synthetic soils which affect the
growth of common haircap moss (in terms of increase in horizontal length and number of shoots).
Soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) to study the rationale behind. Polytrichum commune
was grown in both peat and synthetic soils over a course of 6 weeks (after an acclimatization period
of 2 weeks) to determine their rate of growth in different soil types, measured in terms of horizontal
length increment (in mm) and number of new shoots. It was observed that the moss grown in peat
soil exhibited greater horizontal growth (9.280 ± 2.756 mm) than synthetic soil. This is heavily
linked to the significantly lower pH and higher CEC of peat soil. The number of shoots formed
was similar in both peat and synthetic soil (8.267 ± 1.535 and 7.8 ± 0.803 respectively), possibly
due to similar levels of phytohormone production. In conclusion, peat soil is a better media for the
growth and cultivation of P. commune. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:55:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | intimal-1411 |
| institution | INTI International University |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:55:47Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | INTI International University |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | intimal-14112024-03-17T07:26:08Z http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1411/ Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune Ong, Ghim Hock Boey, Mervin, Jia Ye Cheng, Wan Hee SB Plant culture T Technology (General) Mosses, classified as bryophytes, are of economic importance in the horticulture industry where they are used for decoration and gifts. Polytrichum commune (common haircap moss) is a popular moss species used in TerraLiving’s terrariums. However, moss growth is slow, taking up to 12 months for complete growth which limits its economic value. Moss is conventionally grown on peat soil but its prolonged use under the slow moss growth is uneconomical. Therefore, synthetic soil has been proposed as an alternative growth media. Hence, the aims of this study are to investigate the physicochemical characteristics of both peat and synthetic soils which affect the growth of common haircap moss (in terms of increase in horizontal length and number of shoots). Soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) to study the rationale behind. Polytrichum commune was grown in both peat and synthetic soils over a course of 6 weeks (after an acclimatization period of 2 weeks) to determine their rate of growth in different soil types, measured in terms of horizontal length increment (in mm) and number of new shoots. It was observed that the moss grown in peat soil exhibited greater horizontal growth (9.280 ± 2.756 mm) than synthetic soil. This is heavily linked to the significantly lower pH and higher CEC of peat soil. The number of shoots formed was similar in both peat and synthetic soil (8.267 ± 1.535 and 7.8 ± 0.803 respectively), possibly due to similar levels of phytohormone production. In conclusion, peat soil is a better media for the growth and cultivation of P. commune. INTI International University 2020-09 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_4 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1411/1/ij2020_03.pdf Ong, Ghim Hock and Boey, Mervin, Jia Ye and Cheng, Wan Hee (2020) Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune. INTI JOURNAL, 2020 (3). ISSN e2600-7320 http://intijournal.newinti.edu.my |
| spellingShingle | SB Plant culture T Technology (General) Ong, Ghim Hock Boey, Mervin, Jia Ye Cheng, Wan Hee Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune |
| title | Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune |
| title_full | Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune |
| title_fullStr | Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune |
| title_short | Effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune |
| title_sort | effects of soil type on the growth of polytrichum commune |
| topic | SB Plant culture T Technology (General) |
| url | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1411/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1411/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1411/1/ij2020_03.pdf |