Banana Peel Waste as an Eco-Friendly Nutrient Medium for Improving Rooting Success in Plum (Prunus salicina) Cuttings

The investigation aimed to assess how various fruit peel waste media (PWM) affect the success of rooting and the adaptation of plum (Prunus salicina) cuttings under semi-protected conditions. In this research study, we used cuttings of the Kala Amritsari plum variety, subjecting them to six treatments: soil (control), apple PWM, banana PWM, orange PWM, pomegranate PWM, and mixed fruit PWM. Each treatment involved 60 cuttings, with 20 cuttings per replication. We employed a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications for the experimental setup. These cuttings were regularly monitored for sprouting, with assessments made at 15-day intervals. The findings indicate that banana PWM outperforms the other treatments in terms of the time taken for the first sprout, higher sprouting rates, better rooting, increased numbers of root-shoot, more leaves, greater fresh and dry shoot and root weights, higher survival rates, and greater chlorophyll content compared to apple PWM. Conversely, mixed fruit PWM yielded less favorable results compared to the other treatments. Pomegranate and citrus PWM are rich sources of nutrients, which, in turn, result in lower success rates. Banana PWM proves to be a valuable organic rooting medium once the plant’s natural requirements are met. The remaining PWM, abundant in nutrients, may be beneficial with some adjustments and dilution.