EMERGENCY AND INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ANACARDIUM HUMILE SEEDLINGS IN FUNCTION OF DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES

Abstract

ANACARDIUM HUMILE IS A PERENNIAL SPECIES OF THE ANACARDIACEAE FAMILY, NATIVE TO THE CERRADO. THE CASHEW PRODUCT OF GREATEST COMMERCIAL INTEREST IS THE TOASTED CASHEW NUT. A. HUMILE FRUIT AND PSEUDO FRUIT HAVE GREAT FOOD, INDUSTRIAL, MEDICINAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. HOWEVER, COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION DEPENDS ON AN EFFICIENT SEEDLING PRODUCTION SYSTEM, IN WHICH ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS IS THE SUBSTRATE. THUS, THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CASHEW SEEDS IN DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES. THE EXPERIMENT WAS CONDUCTED IN A GREENHOUSE, THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WAS COMPLETELY RANDOMIZED WITH FIVE TREATMENTS AND FOUR REPLICATIONS. THE TREATMENTS WERE COMPOSED OF DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES: T1 - SAND; T2 - SOIL; T3 - COMMERCIAL SUBSTRATE (TROPSTRATO�®); T4 - SOIL AND MANURE (3: 1); T5 - SOIL, SAND AND MANURE (2: 1: 1). THE CHARACTERISTICS WERE EVALUATED: NUMBER OF LEAVES, HEIGHT OF PART OF THE AERIAL, PERCENTAGE OF EMERGENCE, DIAMETER OF THE NECK AND DAYS UNTIL GERMINATION. THE DATA OBTAINED WERE SUBJECTED TO ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND THE MEANS COMPARED BY TUKEY'S TEST AT 5% PROBABILITY. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED FOR THE PERCENTAGE OF EMERGENCE AND DAYS UNTIL GERMINATION. THE CHARACTERS HEIGHT OF THE AERIAL PART, DIAMETER AND NUMBER OF LEAVES DID NOT PRESENT SIGNIFICANT STATISTICAL DIFFERENCES FOR THE DIFFERENT EVALUATED SUBSTRATES. THE DAYS REQUIRED FOR GERMINATION AND THE REDUCTION IN THE GERMINATION RATE MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE LONG STORAGE PERIOD (18 MONTHS). THE USE OF SAND AND SUBSTRATE PROMOTED A HIGHER GERMINATION RATE, POSSIBLY CAUSED BY THE GREATER AERATION OF THESE TYPES OF SUBSTRATES. THE COMMERCIAL SUBSTRATE HAS AN EXCELLENT NUTRIENT LOAD FOR THE GOOD SEEDLING DEVELOPMENT, HOWEVER THE COMMERCIAL SUBSTRATE HAS A HIGH COST WHEN COMPARED TO THE COST OF THE OTHER SUBSTRATES. THUS, THE SAND IS DUE TO THE BETTER COST BENEFIT COMPARED TO THE COMMERCIAL SUBSTRATE.