Use of alternative organic compounds in the initial growth and quality of Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell. Brenan) seedlings

Abstract

The use of renewable materials as a source of nutrients, besides being a solution of interest for waste disposal, may also be an effective way to reduce the high costs of inputs needed for the production of forestry seedlings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth of Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell. Brenan) (angico branco) cultivated in organic substrates. A randomized block design was adopted and the treatments were distributed in a 3 × 5 factorial scheme, with three organic residues: decomposed burity (moriche palm) stem, carnaúba straw and organic compost mixed with the soil in four percentages: 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of the composition of substrate and a control treatment with soil only, without incorporating the organic residue, with six repetitions. Ninety days after emergence, the seedlings were collected to determine the growth parameters: stem diameter (SD), height (H), of the following indexes: H/D, leaf number (LN), total chlorophyll (T), leaf area (LA), dry mass of the aerial part (DMAP), dry mass of roots (DMR), total dry mass (TDM) H/DMAP: DMAP/DMR, and Dickson Quality Index (DQI). The treatments that contained 60% and 80% of organic compost presented the best responses. It is concluded that the production of angico branco seedlings cultivated with substrate with the addition of 80:20 (organic compost: soil) presented the best results and was technically feasible according to the characteristics and indexes analyzed.