Uso de diferentes substratos para a produção de mudas de cajueiro (Anacardium occidentale L.)

Abstract

Cashew farming is of extreme importance for agriculture in the state of Ceará, directly reflecting the region's economy. In this way, any practice or method that contributes to the optimization of cashew production must be tested and evaluated in order to be used in the productive processes of that crop. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the use of five substrates for the production of early-dwarf cashew tree seedlings. The experiment was carried out at the Experimental Field of Pacajus - CEP, belonging to Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical. The statistical design used was a completely randomized (DIC), consisting of 5 treatments (organic compounds), and 4 replicates, forming 20 experimental units, each unit consisting of 20 cashew tree seedlings, totaling 400 seedlings. Three evaluations were made regarding the germination rate; 2 biometric evaluations, measuring height of the seedling, diameter of the lap and number of leaves grown; and 1 evaluation concerning the percentage of grafting of the seedlings. Regarding the results, it was observed that the height and the percentage of the grafting of the seedlings were influenced by the treatments. While the diameter, number of leaves and germination rate did not differ statistically. The final germination rate was similar in all treatments, while the height presented higher values in the coconut fiber and bagana treatments. The lowest values for height and percentage of handle were observed in the combination of sewage sludge + coconut fiber, showing that this treatment interferes negatively in the development of early-dwarf cashew tree seedlings.