Germination of Corymbia citriodora on different substracts

Abstract

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the germination of lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora) on different substrates. The following were tested: 1) commercial substrate, 2) sand, 3) sand + coconut fiber (2: 1), 4) coconut fiber, 5) substrate + coconut fiber (2: 1), 6) sand + substrate (2: 1) and the control treatment (germitest paper). Based on the experiment, it was observed that germination varied between 57 and 74%, although there was no significant difference between treatments. The treatments that led to a higher germination speed were the control (germitest paper), followed by the commercial substrate, coconut fiber, sand + substrate and substrate + fiber, with no significant difference, indicating that they are the best for the germination of C. citriodora seeds. The substrate based on coconut fiber is promising, as it can be considered an alternative and low-cost substrate.