ABSTRACT
Teak is one of the most important tropical hardwood species in the international market of high-quality timber extracted from both natural forest and plantations. The growth and development of seedlings play a crucial role in the successful establishment of tree species. Understanding the factors that influence seedling growth is important for optimizing plantation practices and ensuring the long-term sustainability of teak forests. One such factor that can significantly impact seedling growth is the diameter thickness of the stump. An experiment was conducted with the objective of studying the effect of stump diameter thickness and integrated nutrient management on the growth attributes of Tectona grandis. Experiment was conducted at Shivaram karanth forest nursery Yadaguppa village, Banavasi, Sirsi. Experiment was laid out in Factorial randomized block design with three main treatments and ten sub treatments with three replications. Results revealed that larger stump of greater than 0.9cm and the nutrient treatment of 1g N:2g P:1g K significantly improved growth metrics such as plant height, collar diameter, number of leaves, and leaf area wheras maximum seedling biomass was reported in application with 0.25 g N: 0.5 g P: 0.25 g K + 7.5 g Vermicompost + 2.5 g VAM + 2.5 g PSB/ seedlings. The study emphasizes the importance of stump size and balanced nutrient supplementation for optimal teak growth, with larger stumps and specific nutrient treatments promoting the most robust development. This study indicates that selecting larger stumps having size more than 0.9 cm and 1g N:2g P:1g K per seedlings can significantly enhance the seedlings growth attributes in Tectona grandis. These findings highlight the necessity of different nutrient management and appropriate stump selection to maximize the productivity and health of teak plantations.