EFFECT OF DIFFERENT WATER PH LEVEL ON SEEDLINGS GROWTH PERFORMANCE AT NURSERY
Authors: Boney M *., Sairul J. and Mohd. Yusof. M. Y
Journal Issue: Malaysian Cocoa Journal, Volume 17 2025
Keywords: Cocoa, water pH levels, seedlings, growth development, Kangen Water
Published On: 5/11/2025
Abstract
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different water pH levels on the growth performance of cocoa seedlings at the Malaysian Cocoa Board Research and Development Centre nursery in Tawau, Sabah. The study was laid out in Random Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three water treatments: T1 - Tap Water (pH ±7.5), T2 - Distilled Water (pH ±5.5), and T3 - Kangen Water (pH ±9.5) in three replicates. Two growth parameters—stem diameter (cm) and height (cm)—were recorded weekly over 13 weeks after planting (WAP). PBC 123 clone seedlings were used as rootstock, and each treatment was applied to 30 seedlings (three replicates of 10 seedlings each). Seedlings received 100ml of water daily, and their growth performance was monitored throughout the trial. Results showed that Kangen Water produced a slightly higher mean stem diameter, though differences were not significant (p>0.05). However, the study suggests that Kangen Water may be beneficial for improving seedling growth, particularly in acidic soils. Despite its advantages, the use of Kangen Water may be limited due to cost factors.