Abstract
Abstract Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult., widely known as desert rose, has attracted interest for its esthetic characteristics, which are influenced by the process of seedling production. Using two consecutive experiments installed fully at random, the study aimed at assessing the use of different substrates and hydrogel to produce desert rose seedlings in a protected environment. First, eleven substrates were tested, prepared as follows: OrganoAmazon®; PuroHumus®; soil; rice husk in natura; carbonized rice husk, sawdust and cattle manure. Then, three substrates were tested (S1 - OrganoAmazon® + PuroHumus®; S2 - OrganoAmazon® + PuroHumus® + rice husk in natura and S3 - OrganoAmazon® + PuroHumus® + carbonized rice husk) associated to four hydrogel levels: 0 (daily irrigation), 1, 2 and 3 g L−1 (irrigated on alternate days). Growth variables and quality index of seedlings were assessed. Six substrates (all of them without addition of sawdust and where used in mix) were grouped as those the promoted appropriate growth of seedlings, with height, number of leaves, collar diameter, root length and aerial part biomass superior to 6.5 cm; 13; 12 mm; 7.5 cm and 0.45 g, respectively. The substrate composed of OrganoAmazon® + PuroHumus® (1:1 v/v), when irrigated daily, was the one that favored most the production of quality seedlings. The use of hydrogel in substrates with shifts of irrigation on alternate days did not favor the production of desert rose seedlings.
Highlights
Material and MethodsDesert rose [Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult.], ornamental plant of the Apocynaceae family, has attracted attention for presenting exotic and sculptural characteristics like: thick branches, large stem base, peculiar sizes and exuberant flowering, which makes them highly desirable for use in gardens and other ornamentation areas (Colombo et al, 2018a)
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the premises required for a good substrate, substrates should be made with materials locally available or near the production location, since they may represent significant increase in production costs, when commercially used or acquired (Monteiro Neto et al, 2016)
Substrates that contributed to numerical increase in all growth variables (PH, collar diameter (CD), number of leaves (NL) and root length (RL)), presented the highest biomass values. These results indicate that aerial part dry mass (APDM) has direct relation to plant height (PH), and the same substrates were grouped with the highest values in two variables (Tables 2 and 3), evidencing that the use of sawdust in substrates significantly affects the increment of biomass in desert rose seedlings’ aerial parts
Summary
Material and MethodsDesert rose [Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult.], ornamental plant of the Apocynaceae family, has attracted attention for presenting exotic and sculptural characteristics like: thick branches, large stem base, peculiar sizes and exuberant flowering, which makes them highly desirable for use in gardens and other ornamentation areas (Colombo et al, 2018a). When analyzed separately, distinct groups of substrates are identified as to the efficiency in each variable studied (Table 2), indicating that there was direct relation among the plant parts and the components used to prepare the tested compounds for desert rose seedlings.
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