Production of Lettuce Seedlings with Association of Diazotrophic Bacteria and Humic Acids

Abstract

The objective of this work was to verify the responses in agronomic and physiological characters of lettuce seedlings when submitted to different doses of humic acids and the presence or absence of inoculation of the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. The experiment was carried out at the Protected Cultivation Station and Biological Control Teacher Mario Cesar Lopes, belonging to the Experimental Stations Nucleus of the State University of the West of Parana. The experimental design was a randomized block design, in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, with four repetitions, totaling 40 plots. The first factor consisted of five solutions containing humic acid (100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 0%) and the second factor was the presence or absence of the diazotrophic bacterium Azospirillum brasilense obtained by commercial product. Germination tests were carried out in addition to the determination of agronomic characters such as the number of fully expanded leaves, plant height, stem diameter, main root length, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, total dry mass, and Dickson quality index. The association of diazotrophic bacteria and humic acids did not influence the emergency rate, mean emergence time, mean speed of emergency, emergence speed index, plant height, and root length of lettuce seedlings. The dilutions of humic acids, regardless of inoculation with bacteria diazotrophic favored the development of the number of leaves, stem diameter and Dickson quality index. Inoculation of lettuce seeds with diazotrophic bacteria associated with the addition of humic acids, favored the development of the dry mass of root and total dry matter.