Abstract
ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to evaluate the initial growth of Bauhinia variegata L. when inoculated and fertilized with different proportions of organic compost. The experiment was performed in greenhouse in a completely random factorial (2 x 5) + 1 design, with 9 replicates, constituted by the presence or absence of inoculation, five proportions of organic compost:soil (0:100, 20:40, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20; v/v) and one additional treatment with chemical fertilization without inoculation. Ninety days after sowing, the plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, radicular length, dry mass of the aerial portion, dry mass of roots, total dry mass, Dicksosn's quality index (IQD), contents of nitrogen and carbon and the C/N ratio of the dry mass of the aerial portion, were evaluated. The inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria stimulated growth in height, stem height/diameter ratio, dry mass of the aerial portion, dry mass of roots, total dry mass and the foliar contents of nitrogen and carbon in seedlings of B. variegata L. Seedlings grown using organic compost showed better development when compared to seedlings grown only in soil with or without chemical fertilization. Seedlings grown with formulated substrate at a proportion of 16:84 (organic compost:soil + inoculation) exhibited higher IQD, therefore, this constitutes the recommended proportion for production of B.variegata L. seedlings.
Highlights
Organic residues from agricultural or urban activities, after being processed by composting, render an organic material with desirable characteristics to produce substrates for seedling production
Seedlings cultivated in substrate with chemical fertilization showed lower stem diameter (SD) (2.23 mm plant-1), when compared to organic compost (Figure 1B)
Seedlings cultivated in substrate with chemical fertilization showed a lower value of 0.43 cm plant-1 (Figure 2B), when compared to the substrate with organic compost:soil + inoculation, which resulted in an increase of 74.60% in dry mass of roots (DMR)
Summary
Organic residues from agricultural or urban activities, after being processed by composting, render an organic material with desirable characteristics to produce substrates for seedling production. Bauhinia variegata L. is an exotic fast growing leguminous species, belonging to the family Fabaceae and commonly known as cow’s hoof (Krefta et al, 2017). It is considered a medicinal plant, once it shows phytotherapeutic effects and contains phenolic compounds with anti-oxidant properties (Nascimento et al, 2011). The evaluation of easy available and alternative substrates, in conjunction with inoculation of growth promoting bacterial, is significant
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