Open Access

ARTICLE

Evaluation of Commercial Potting Substrates for Reproducible Growth of Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum under Laboratory Conditions

Ramtin Vamenani^#, Ethan Brister^#, Ling Li^*

Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA

* Corresponding Author: Ling Li. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this work

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2026, 95(4), 18 https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.078683

Received 06 January 2026; Accepted 27 March 2026; Issue published 28 April 2026

Abstract

The potting substrate is an important determinant of post-germination growth in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum under controlled laboratory conditions. We evaluated four commercially available soil substrates—Sta-Green potting mix plus fertilizer (SPM), Sta-Green flower & vegetable garden soil plus fertilizer (SGS), Miracle-Gro potting mix (MPM), and Miracle-Gro raised bed soil (MBS)—to assess their effects on seed germination and post-germination growth. Germination rates did not differ significantly among substrates for either species. In contrast, post-germination growth was strongly influenced by the substrate, with MPM consistently supporting greater biomass accumulation, stem elongation, and leaf production. Through integrated analysis of the manufacturer-reported nutrient composition and the substrate physical characteristics, including texture and moisture retention, we propose a mechanistic explanation for these growth differences. The superior performance of MPM likely reflects the combined effects of nutrient availability and favorable physical properties, including fine texture, aeration, and water-holding capacity, rather than nutrient content alone. Together, these results identify potting substrate choice as an important experimental variable affecting growth outcomes and reproducibility in laboratory-based plant research.

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Keywords

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