Effect of different proportions of urban organic compost on Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora) propagation

Abstract

Brazil is the largest producer of Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora) in the world. The use of organic matter in substrates for clonal plant propagation is essential to promote favorable conditions for the development of both shoots and roots. Therefore, it is important for production systems to test new sources of organic matter such as solid urban waste. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different proportions of composted urban waste on the propagation of Conilon coffee plants. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design, with five replications and seven treatments. The treatments consisted of different proportions of composted urban waste (0, 15, 30, 50, 70, 90 and 100%), and biometric and quality characteristics of the clonal plants were evaluated. The results showed that proportions of composted urban waste higher than 50% added to the soil substrate promoted the highest plant growth rates, and even the lowest proportion of organic matter (15%) showed better results for all characteristics than the treatment without organic matter.