Abstract
ABSTRACT The development of modified hydroponic cultivation has aroused interest and its use has enabled advantages in several crops, but studies for coffee are still scarce. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate seedling production of three Coffea arabica cultivars (Mundo Novo IAC-376-4, Catuaí IAC-62 Amarelo and MGS Paraíso 2), in a modified hydroponic system, and to compare it with the nursery production system, using plastic polyethylene tubettes and bags. Coffee seedlings in the development phase with cotyledon leaves, were cultivated in both cultivation systems. At 90 days after the implementation of the experiment, the seedlings were analyzed for growth (height, stem diameter, total number, leaf area, root area, root and shoot dry matter weight), and physiological characteristics (chlorophyll content and stomatal conductance). For the statistical analysis, a completely randomized design (CRD) was used in a factorial scheme 3 (cultivars) x 2 (containers) x 2 (cultivation systems), with four replications of ten plants per plot. The innovative production system of coffee seedlings in modified hydroponics, in combination with the use of polyethylene bags, provided greater growth of coffee seedlings with better physiological characteristics. Among the cultivars tested, MGS Paraíso 2 stood out with higher seedling growth (number of leaves, stem diameter and root and shoot dry matter weight).
Highlights
Seedling production is a fundamental step in maintaining the production chain of the coffee crop
Seedlings from cultivars Mundo Novo IAC-3764, Catuaí IAC-62 Amarelo and MGS Paraíso 2 were purchased in a commercial nursery, approximately 60 days after sowing, in the development phase with cotyledon leave and were transplanted into containers, which were conducted in two cultivation systems: 1) nurseries with sprinkler irrigation system and 2) modified hydroponic system (Chalfun; Faquin, 2008) in two types of containers
When analyzing the height of the seedlings produced with the different cultivars, production systems and containers, the results showed that the seedlings produced in polyethylene bags had greater growth compared to those produced in tubettes (Table 1)
Summary
Seedling production is a fundamental step in maintaining the production chain of the coffee crop. Seedlings make it possible to transfer technologies for crop renewal and new cultivation areas. Coffea arabica seedlings are produced in commercial nurseries. Seedling quality and production costs can be influenced by the substrate used, type of container and its dimensions. The availability of nutrients and water and, the volume and architecture of the root system, are related to the volumes of the containers (Schorn et al, 2019) and there are important parameters in seedling growth and quality (Hatamian et al, 2019; Souri; Sooraki, 2019; Saghayesh; Souri, 2018)
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