English

Abstract

The management of fertilization using burnt residue from plant material associated with the management of irrigation, has demonstrated the possibility of a sustainable strategy to increase production of ornamental plants cultivated in greenhouses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the development of gladiolus plants cultivated in the Cerrado Rhodic Hapludox and subjected to doses of wood ash and volumetric soil moistures. The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions, from April to June 2014. The experimental design was arranged in randomized blocks, in a 5×5 factorial scheme, totaling 25 treatments, with four replications. Treatments were composed of five doses of wood ash (0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 g dm -3 ), and five volumetric soil moistures (7, 14, 21, 28, and 35%). Evaluated variables were: pH and soil water retention capacity; length of flower spikes and flower stems; flower numbers; and days from plant emergence to flowering. Results were analyzed using the response surface methodology with SAS software. The best results for length of flower spikes and flower stems depend on the combination of appropriate doses of wood ash and soil moisture levels. Number of flowers and days from plant emergence to flowering was separately influenced by either doses of wood ash or soil moisture, which ranged from 8 to 12 g dm -3 wood ash, and 33 to 35% soil moisture. The ash may be used as both soil corrective and fertilizer for greenhouse gladiolus production, besides improving soil water retention capacity. The ideal volumetric soil moisture for flower production is 33%.