International Journal of Chemical Research and Development 1 Effect of potting media on chemical and yield attributes of sword fern (Nephrolepis undulate J. Sm) under protected condition Kavana GB 1* , SY Chandrashekar 2 , L Hanumantharaya 3 , Sarvajna B Salimath 4 , P Hemanth Kumar 5 1-2 Department of FLA, Karnataka, India 3 Department of Entomology, COH, Mudigere, Karnataka, India 4 Department of Soil Science, UAHS, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India 5 Department of FLA, COH, Hiriyur, Karnataka, India Abstract An experiment was conducted to study the effect of potting media on quality parameters of Nephrolepis undulate J. Sm under protected condition in Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, Mudigere (Under University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga) during 2018-19. The suckers were collected around the region of Mudigere and are planted in 12" pot. The experiment was consisted with ten different treatments viz., T 1 - Soil + Sand + FYM (2:1:1) (Control), T 2 - Soil + Cocopeat + Vermicompost (2:1:1), T 3 - Soil + Coir pith + Vermicompost (2:1:1), T 4 - Soil + Cocopeat + FYM + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1), T 5 - Soil + Perlite + Coir pith + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1), T 6 - Cocopeat + Sand + FYM (2:1:1), T 7 - Cocopeat + Vermicompost + Coir pith (2:1:1), T 8 - Cocopeat + Vermicompost + FYM (2:1:1), T 9 - Cocopeat + Perlite + Sand + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1) and T 10 - Cocopeat + Perlite + Coir pith + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1). Each treatment was replicated thrice in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The results revealed that the plants which are grown in the media containing Soil + Cocopeat + FYM + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1) recorded the maximum number of shoots (6.17), croziers (3.10), fronds (12.00), nitrogen (5.10 %), phosphorous (0.59 %) and potassium (2.65 %) compared standard check. Keywords: Nephrolepis fern, potting media, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, pH, EC and OC Introduction A fern is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular i.e. having specialized tissues that conduct water and nutrients and in having life cycles in which the sporophyte is the dominant phase. Like other vascular plants, ferns have complex leaves called megaphylls, that are more complex than the microphylls of clubmosses. The ferns are homosporous, leptosporangiate ferns, sometimes referred to as true ferns found mostly in humid areas. The new leaves typically expand by the unrolling of a tight spiral called as a crozier or fiddlehead of the fern. This uncurling of the leaf is termed circinate vernation and that uncoil and expand into fronds (Olsen, 2007) [10] . Ferns are extremely diverse in their habitat, form and reproductive methods. The foliage of ferns ranges from dark green to light yellow and others with surprising colors of grey, silver, red and blue-green which increase their utility in different types of floral arrangements (Kavana et al., 2019) [5] . Besides the economic values, a large number of them are cultivated for their ornamental value either in indoors of the houses or outdoors in the botanical gardens due to their delicate beauty and grace, used as a hanging basket, greenhouses and conservatories and we find them in the smallest apartments to the largest homes (Poole et al., 1984). Growing media generally have three components i.e. mainly with water, dissolved nutrients, solid (33-50%) and gases (50-70%) with (12%) oxygen and this combination is good for stronger root and shoot growth. Nowadays potted plants are grown in soilless media because of their benefits i.e. good water holding capacity, porosity, aeration and free from water logging conditions and less weed growth, nematodes, pest and disease infestation (Abid et al., 2017) [1] . Ferns are extremely diverse in their habitat, form and reproductive methods. The foliage of ferns ranges from dark green to light yellow and others with surprising colors of grey, silver, red and blue-green which increase their utility in different types of floral arrangements. The genus Nephrolepis is commonly known as “sword fern” which are evergreen or semi- evergreen, either terrestrial or epiphytic species, distributed in tropical to subtropical regions around the world (Patil and Dongare, 2014) [11] . Materials and Methods The experiment was carried out at the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, Mudigere (Under University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga) during 2018-19. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design with 10 treatments and 3 replications [T 1 - Soil + Sand + FYM (2:1:1) (Control), T 2 - Soil + Cocopeat + Vermicompost (2:1:1), T 3 - Soil + Coir pith + Vermicompost (2:1:1), T 4 - Soil + Cocopeat + FYM + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1), T 5 - Soil + Perlite + Coir pith + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1), T 6 - Cocopeat + Sand + FYM (2:1:1), T 7 - Cocopeat + Vermicompost + Coir pith (2:1:1), T 8 - Cocopeat + Vermicompost + FYM (2:1:1), T 9 - Cocopeat + Perlite + Sand + Vermicompost (2:1:1:1) and T 10 - Cocopeat + Perlite + Coir International Journal of Chemical Research and Development www.chemicaljournal.in Online ISSN: 2664-6560; Print ISSN: 2664-6552 Received: 01-02-2019; Accepted: 03-03-2019 Volume 1; Issue 2; April 2019; Page No. 01-03